Bound
by sweetmaria
Summary: An original fan fiction involving the brothers stumbling across a teenage witch living alone in Savannah. One vampire encounter later, and the three are entangled in a situation that threatens all of their lives.
1. Chapter 1

Holly watched the people in the bar move across the room, as she always did on a Friday night. Sat there, and watched, waiting.

Waiting for what, she didn't know.

She knew she was waiting for something, or someone. This dark, foreboding feeling had consumed her thoughts ever since that night her parents had been killed. It sat in the back of her mind, growing deeper every day, filling her with feelings of caution and anxiety.

So she sat in the bar, under the dim glow of the gas lamps, to drink the pain away.

Not that Holly drank a lot- she was 19, barely underage, but the bartender seemed to fall for her fake ID the first time, so she was in the clear. The alcohol just seemed to soothe her thoughts a little, and take the edge off of things. It made her forget the memories of the screams.

The loud chatter of the regulars pervaded her thoughts, making her blink from the gaze she had fixed on the doorway. Someone was nudging her side.

"Hey, Holl." It was Francis.

Holly turned to beam her best smile at him, though smiling was never really her thing. He tugged at her sleeve. "How's it going?"

Horribly. "Good."

His bright blue frat boy eyes gleamed at her. "Going anywhere tonight?"

She shrugged him off, uncomfortable. It was as if guys were automatically drawn towards girls that had experienced a tragedy. It left them open and vulnerable- the perfect catch.

"No. I think I'm going to stay in tonight." She kept her answer vague, hoping not to pique his interest. She was not feeling like drunken "partying," as they always called it. Already she could see the glaze in his vision and hear the slight slur in his words.

"Oh. That's tooooo bad." Francis raised his bottle to her and took a swig. ",'cause I don't have a date."

She clenched her jaw, focusing on the edge of the wooden bar table, her fingers digging into the hard wood. "Why don't you go find one, Francis?"

"Because," he answered, breathing down her neck. She could smell the beer. "I found you, didn't I?"

Holly sighed and her eyebrow twitched. The bottle fell out of Francis' hand and landed on his lap, spilling liquid all over his pants. His mouth widened. "I...uh…I gotta go." He hopped off the barstool, stumbling a bit, and she could hear some quiet sniggers coming from the corner of the room. She smirked, picking the bottle up off the floor.

"Aw, shit." Randy, the bartender, slapped a towel over his shoulder. "That prick should come back and clean up his mess."

"It's okay, Rand, I got this." She smiled up at him, and Randy rubbed the back of his neck, looking uncertain. He handed the towel to her. "Thanks, Holl."

Holly waved him away to go get her another beer, glancing around the room to make sure no one was watching. The excitement seemed to have passed, and all eyes were avoiding her direction. She watched the window for a second to verify that no one was about to enter, then she flicked her eyes to the beer dripping from the barstool next to her.

She focused, and the liquid was gone in an instant, the wood gleaming fresh and clean in the overhead light.

Satisfied, she faced the counter again, throwing the towel on the counter. Randy re-appeared with her drink in his hand. "Thanks, doll. Appreciate it. It's on the house."

"Thanks, Randy." Holly took the drink from him and tapped her fingers on the side of the bottle. It was cold on her skin, but she warmed it up instantly. Randy didn't seem to notice.

"So," he said, leaning on the counter, grabbing the towel, and wiping down some wine glasses. "Any plans for tonight?"

Holly's eyes followed a shady looking guy in a dark sweatshirt enter the bar door. "Uh, no, not really," she answered, distracted. "I think I'm just gonna stay in."

"Surely a girl like you has got to pick up a date sooner or later." Randy was just teasing, but Holly felt the words cut deep. "No," she said softly. "Not tonight."

That's all they saw in her, guys. They saw the long black curly hair, the olive complexion, and the golden eyes, and they saw a pretty date. But it never lasted long. People were afraid of her, scared to get close to her, after the accident. It was if she repelled people with her sadness.

The only people that ever carried on a conversation with her were Randy, her teachers at school, and drunken frat boys.

Exhibit A. Francis came stumbling out of the bathroom, holding a paper towel to his pants. Holly turned away, trying to hide her face. "Hide me," she mouthed to Randy, and he sighed.

"'Ay, you!" The older man barked at Francis, who turned to look at him, wide-eyed. "Don't you be botherin' this lady tonight. She doesn't want your company."

Holly smiled, thinking to herself that she could handle any guy any day, but it made her feel happy to know someone cared. Francis frowned, stepping back from the barstool. "Hey, man, I don't want any trouble." He was across the room in an instant.

Randy wiped his hands on his wife-beater and grabbed a bunch of clean glasses in his hands. "You're welcome," he said gruffly, nodding to her, and headed to the back. Holly dipped her head, her curls falling around her face, smiling slightly.

She traced her fingers on the ruts in the bar, lifting her gaze slightly to watch the shady guy who had entered minutes before. She had seen him wander over to an empty table in the corner, but he wasn't there now. She frowned.

The room seemed to freeze for a moment, and then it passed. Holly was filled with the sense of foreboding again.

The crackle of footsteps outside the door. Holly slid her body around to watch the entrance, her legs uncrossing.

The handle turned.

Something in the back of her mind pricked, like awakening from a long sleep.

She tilted her head, playing with a stray string off of her black sweater. The door swung open, revealing two guys wearing jackets and jeans. Her mind whirred. She had seen these two before, somewhere. Alarms were going off in her head.

The shorter one met her gaze and she turned, biting her lip.

_Oh, please don't see me please don't see me-_

She felt their presences fade, as if they were walking farther away from her.

Holly let out her breathe.

She was sure this was what she had been waiting for.

Holly waited a couple of minutes, painstakingly counting them out in her head.

_…_

She sensed nothing; their presence was gone. The only thing she felt was the bar against her knees and her nails digging into the skin of her arms.

She let out a breath and slowly slid around, letting her feet touch the floor. Every instinct was telling her to run, to get out of that bar and get into her car and drive. She visualized the door of her apartment, and saw nothing. There was nothing waiting for her at home.

_Get out. _Leaving a tip for Randy underneath her drink, she paced across the room, not looking around. The feeling was still curling inside her, ready to unfurl and pounce. There was still something out there.

The door opened slightly before her hand touched the handle, and she cursed silently. She had to watch her emotions.

The cool air felt good on her face.

Those men, Holly knew, were not normal, and they were after something. She sensed their trail leading from an old black Impala in the parking lot to where she was standing. They were on the hunt.

_Is that what they were? Hunters? _Her throat was dry as she tried to swallow nervously. _I'm so fucked. _

Hunters didn't really have good relationships with witches.

_No one has good relationships with witches, _she told herself, crossing the parking lot to her car, which started at her touch. She thought of Randy. _Except for middle-aged bartenders. _

She needed to check her drawings.

She slid into her car, holding her trembling fingers over the steering wheel. She turned the radio on without touching it.

Holly's drawings never lied. Being an art student at SCAD, art came naturally to her, as it ran deep within her family's lineage. A couple of her witch ancestors were famous artists, and her parents had encouraged her to draw since she could hold a pencil.

_"There is more than meets the eye when a witch draws,"_ her mother had always told her. "It _holds the answers you seek."_

This explains her amazing grades in art school, and the plethora of sketches that covered her apartment walls.

And most recently, she had been drawing two men.

Just shadows, not enough to see their faces. Holly had the feeling if she drew tonight, she would draw those two men she saw in the bar tonight. Somehow, they were tied in with what she was feeling.

_What were they after? Where are they from?_

These were the thoughts that crowded her mind as she made her way down the dark-lit street that was surrounded by great hanging oaks. The slivered moon shone with a weak light down on the pavement. Holly turned into her building's driveway, keeping note of the cars in the parking lot. None of them looked unfamiliar.

She grabbed her keys and hopped out the door. The night was silent, unlike most normal nights in Savannah, which were usually filled with some form of noise, natural or not. She shivered as she pushed open the door, and entered the front entryway. It was bare, with marble floors and a few lush plants in the corner. Her parents had not left her without a large sum of money to get her through school.

The stairs echoed throughout the silence as she climbed up two stories. Holly reached 201. Home, or at least the best she had right now.

Flicking on a light-switch, her flat was illuminated. A living room sat directly across from the foyer. To the left, her bedroom; to the right was the kitchen. She tossed her keys on the table and headed to her bedroom, grabbing a pencil on the way. Her room was just a tornado of loose papers, on the floor, the walls, and even the ceiling. Some were charcoal, some were paintings, and others were just faint sketches she never got enough feeling to finish. It was a good thing she had no boy to bring back to this mess.

The window beside her bed was open, as it always was most of the time, to let in the cool night air. The breeze usually soothed her thoughts before she went to bed.

Holly changed, brushed her teeth, and hopped onto her down comforter, all the while thinking about those two men. Her fingers tingled, and her brain was on overdrive. It wasn't safe for a young witch living alone to be around Hunters. It just isn't smart.

_Hunters, _she thought, reaching for her sketchbook, _make life so damn difficult. _

She flipped on her bedside lamp, and closing her eyes, turned off all the other lights in the house without even moving a finger. Telekinesis, or something like it, came naturally to all witches. There wasn't any intense spell work involved with using your mind. When it came to complex things, like trying to decipher a lock or code, or physically changing the appearance of something, then it involved more physical movement and speech.

Or, there were always those that could do more.

Holly had never really talked to her parents about her ability. In her family, an outer reach was unheard of, and she had heard stories of her kind being labeled as freaks for developing an extra natural power. When she was twelve, she had discovered she could read people's auras, and track their spirit, without even talking or thinking to hard about it. It just _happened. _That's how she knew those men were at the bar without knowing who they were, or why they were there.

Her parents didn't even know their daughter's secret before they were killed.

The sound of scratches filled her room as Holly began to sketch on a blank page of paper. Her sketchbook was old and torn, well used. She used it for all drawing, which she did often.

The face of a man began to take shape. Holly pursed her lips as she filled in the eyes. They needed color. She quickly held out her hand and a pencil crayon landed in her palm. She flicked her fingers over the paper, and the man's eyes took on a beautiful pale green hue. Better.

The face was rugged, and chiseled. The hair was cut short, and on his face was a slight pout, which Holly found kind of amusing. She filled in a bit of stubble on his cheeks. This man was strikingly handsome, and she turned away from the drawing's gaze. It was as if it were seeing her, for real. She turned the page.

There was that other one, the taller one. She sketched a long face, defined nose, and shaggy brown hair. His eyes were puppy-dog like, his gaze warm, unlike the hardness of the other man's. She drew his shoulders wide, and his cheekbones sharp. Here was another handsome guy, looking as if he could see right through her. But instead of anxiousness, she felt warmth. His green gaze was soothing.

Holly shut her sketchbook instantly, with a clap. They were Hunters.

_Fuck, they were Hunters._

She knew she had to stay away from them, and whatever they were after. Never get in the way of a hunt when they have their mind set on killing it. She knew that. Her parents had known that, and yet it couldn't save them.

Her lip trembled, and she bit the tears back.

What could she do? Just wait it out and hope they left town.

She closed her eyes and turned off the light.

Green eyes haunted her dreams.

The next morning, Holly drifted in and out of a foggy consciousness. She flew through breakfast, through reading the Saturday paper which she had delivered each week, and dressing. Perhaps a black lace dress and black jean jacket was a bit inconspicuous if she wanted to play an undercover witch, but Holly didn't seem to recognize that fact as she slipped on some black sandals. The day was nice, from the looks of it outside of the large glass window that filled her living room with light.

On the cobblestone streets below, a few people were milling about. Across from her building lay a tiny deli which she liked to drop in and grab a bite to eat if she was feeling a good sandwich. There was also a great coffee shop down the block a bit. Not that Holly liked coffee, but she liked the atmosphere. No one seemed to object her bringing in her sketchbook, sitting in the corner and sipping on a mocha latte.

Today, though, she was going to the cemetery.

Holly passed through down the stairs and out the front door, waving to the janitor, who was sweeping the foyer. She shrugged her beat up leather purse over her shoulder, and took off down the street, towards the old cemetery where her parents were buried.

She remembered clearly the day she saw them laid to rest. She couldn't stop the tears running down her cheeks, as she stood at the edge of that lonely grave. There had been so many people at that funeral; people who had loved her and her family.

She hadn't seen them since.

The old iron gate swung open under the slightest brush of her fingers. It was rusting. That's what she loved about this place, was the ancient peace. The headstones were rotting and falling over, with vines creeping slowly up the sides, erasing the names of people who had once had a life to call their own.

Holly made her way to the back, where her parent's graves stood side by side. They were the newest addition. The black marble was still smooth and untouched by age.

She stared at those letters: _JACK AND DIANA GAINES. _Her parents- or what was left of them. Just a few words scribbled on a headstone, in a lonely cemetery with only a daughter to weep for their loss.

Holly sighed deeply, for an instant forgetting the problems she faced. Right now she only wanted to curl up and lie in the soft dirt, and waste the day today.

But she couldn't. She had to know what to do about the Hunters.

Kneeling down, she placed a hand on both of her parent's headstones. Brushing away a stray curl out of her ponytail, Holly was suddenly at a loss for words. Every Saturday she visited her parents to say a few things, but she didn't know how to explain her burden.

"Mom, dad," she whispered. "I don't know what to do."

The images of those two men floated into her thoughts. She clenched her jaw.

"They're here, dad. The Hunters. I don't know what to do about it." A tear threatened to slip down her face. She blinked it away.

"Mom, you would know what to do. You could tell me why they're here." She bit her lip. "I hate being left in the dark, and I hate feeling helpless."

She dug in her bag and pulled out a sprig of rosemary, laying it out next to the headstones. Digging a small hole, she placed the plant in it and covered it lightly with soil. "For protection," Holly whispered, pressing her palms to the marble. "I promise to make a protection wreath tonight, to hang above my door." She knew this would please her mother's spirit, if she was listening. Diana had been the herbal friendly kind of witch- she used herbs for every little problem that arose within their household.

She remembered, how in their old house before they moved to Savannah, the cupboards were filled with sweet smelling plants, and Holly would find them randomly all over, in pillowcases and planted in the garden. Her mother always had a great time explaining the uses of each and every one to her.

She closed her eyes for a moment, and hoped no one saw her, which would just add insult to injury. But she sensed no one else around the perimeter, and she let the sounds of the cars and the birds fill her ears.

Then she sensed it; a flicker within her range. Someone was watching her.

Opening her eyes, Holly scanned the area. All she saw was crumbling headstones and the hanging branches of the trees, slightly swaying in the wind. At the far end of the cemetery there was a small movement; a dark figure was making its way along the gate.

Holly's skin tingled with goose bumps, and she slowly lifted her hands from the rosemary she had planted, brushing the dirt off on her jacket. Rising, she kept her eyes on the dark figure.

It was one of them, she could sense it.

The man seemed to be heading away from the cemetery now, off in the opposite direction from her apartment. Holly let out her breath and gathered her bag in her arms. That was a close call.

The Hunters were definitely out looking for something, and they might have found her instead.

_What about next time? I might not be so lucky._

Quickly, she headed back to the gate, and slipped out into the street, glad for once to be back among people.

Her stomach rumbled. The deli was calling her name.

With one quick look over her shoulder, she knew the man was gone, but she couldn't feel which one it was, and what his intentions were.

Was he looking for her?

_Don't get in the way. That's the most important rule. _

Holly made sure she wasn't being followed, and slid into the deli doors, making the bell clang. The sound of people's voices soothed her.

She decided to stay clear of the cemetery for the next while.


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh, shit."

Holly searched and searched her purse as she stepped back into her apartment later that day. She couldn't find it.

She couldn't find the luck charm her mother had given to her when she was ten.

Leaning against the wall, Holly closed her eyes and pressed hard into the depths of her abilities. She knew the feeling of that charm, the smooth metal, the way the emerald charm glowed in the light. She couldn't feel it anywhere in the building. It wasn't here.

Her head throbbed. She wasn't used to straining herself this much to find something.

Holly pushed back open the door, pausing for a moment. The street was emptying of people, as it was starting to darken outside. She had spent the day holed up inside, away from most people. Her thoughts had been so focused on staying un-noticed that she hadn't even perceived her lucky charm was gone. Now, it seemed, she needed that small iron pentacle more than anything.

It must have dropped out of her purse at the bar last night.

Holly racked her brain. It was the only logical place- she hadn't seen it at all where she had spent her day, which was in the deli for a brief moment, and at the internet café. Plus, she knew it was farther away than just on this street. She felt the distance in her thoughts, which made her head ache even more.

Should she risk going back to the bar, just when it was growing dark? A bad feeling crept up on Holly's skin, but she couldn't tell whether it was from the thought of running into the Hunters, or if she was feeling vulnerable now without her charm.

_This is ridiculous. I didn't notice it was gone all day!_

Now, though, she felt anxiety grow deep in her mind. She needed that charm back.

The parking lot was empty, and she clicked open her Mini-Coop's locks with her mind, agitated. If the charm wasn't back at the bar, she would have to scour the streets. That would make her look like more of a freak than she was already thought of, plus it would be next to impossible without daylight.

The anxiety grew as she pulled out of the parking lot. Something was wrong. She didn't know what, but it was pulling her back to the bar. Holly shivered. She felt as if she was being watched.

_This isn't a good idea._

Even so, she found herself pulling into the driveway five minutes later, tires crunching on the gravel. From inside, there were lights flickering out through the windows. The neon sign RANDY'S buzzed noisily atop a pole. The building was made of logs, to give it more of a cabin-friendly vibe. Holly usually felt warmth and comfort entering this place, but now she just felt fear.

What was waiting for her inside?

She let out her breath, hands still gripping the steering wheel as she sat parked in the darkness. Her eyes scanned the parking lot, looking for the Impala from the night before.

There.

Her gaze landed on the black car parked far across the lot, under a swathe of tree branches. _Hidden, but not hidden enough. _Holly narrowed her eyes. What were they playing at?

She knew she shouldn't go inside, but there was something tugging inside of her, begging to go in. Her thoughts were solely on the charm.

"Fuuuuuuuuuck." The words came out in a sigh as she pushed open the door. She wished she knew how to do an invisibility spell, but she wasn't that advanced of a witch. She was an amateur compared to what elders could do, and yet she carried the burden of a special ability.

In and out. She would slip in quickly, grab the charm if it was there, and get the hell out. If anything, she could count on Randy to semi-protect her if the Hunters made a move.

He was only human, though. He didn't know what was out there in the dark, like they did.

Holly clenched her jaw as she made her way to the front entrance of the bar. Noises of men talking loudly seeped through the wood. It comforted her, just a bit, to know that their sense of normality wasn't hindered. Things were still right in the world. For now.

Opening the door, she immediately was hit with their scent. The Hunters were here, and it made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Their auras to her were like dark swirling masses, filled with mystery and danger. Holly tried to keep her gaze straight ahead, walking towards the bar. She didn't want to draw attention to herself.

"Hey, Randy," she almost choked on her words as she leaned on the counter. She ignored the blatant stares of the half-drunk men sitting around her. "I have a question for you."

"Oh, hey, Holls. What can I do ya for?" Randy was setting up glasses around the bar.

Holly felt her heart still beating fast. "I might have left something here last night. A charm on a necklace. Looks like a star? It was a little emerald in the center of it." She knew she was babbling, and she tried to keep her voice from shaking. They were there, to her right, at a back table. She swallowed down panic.

_They probably can smell fear._

She was an animal trapped in a cage.

"Hmmm." Randy scratched his balding head, furrowing his brow. "I don't remember seeing anything, but now that you mention it, I think those gentlemen over there were examining something they found right around where you were sitting last night." Randy pointed his finger past Holly's side vision, but she didn't need to turn around to know who he was talking about.

_They had it. _

Holly didn't know she could experience fear like this. It ran through her veins like fire. That's why she felt the sense of urgency all the way back at her apartment; it was because her charm was in the hands of strangers. Enemies, even.

She tried weakly to smile. "Thanks, Randy. I'll go ask them."

He nodded. "Just let me know if they give you any trouble."

Holly slowly turned around, breathing slowly. Every instinct was telling her to run; get out of that door fast so they couldn't catch her.

She had walked right into their trap.

The one on the right was looking smug, as if he had one a bet.

"I told you she would come," he said. "If witches love something, it would be their precious little charms."

Holly swallowed her throat dry. The blood pounded in her ears. It was the smug one who was dangling her pentacle in the light, so it shone right into her eyes. He was the shorter one with the cropped hair. Handsome.

Dangerously handsome.

Holly took a step forward, navigating her way to their table. She felt the tension growing as she neared. Her cover was blown- she was in the clearing, a frightened deer in a sniper's vision. Her fingertips trembled, but the alarm was becoming anger. It was men like these that had killed her parents. It was men like these that gave witches a bad name.

She wanted to rip them limb from limb, which terrified them more than the men themselves did.

Suddenly they were right in front of her, expecting her to speak.

Holly blinked, examining the taller one on the left. He didn't look as malevolent as his partner. His gaze was focused intelligently on her, instead of with a look of disgust.

A moment passed; the blood was still thundering in her ears.

She cleared her throat. "I believe you have something of mine."

She was playing with fire. For all she knew, they had guns in their pockets and knives up their sleeves.

"Damn right I do," the right one said, flipping the chain around between his fingers. "It worked perfectly for our little plan, didn't it, Sam? I told you she would come."

Holly clenched her teeth together. Irritation was overcoming fear.

The one called Sam leaned over the table, clasping his large hands together, and ignored his partner. "We don't want to hurt you."

Holly widened her eyes. Somehow, she found that hard to believe.

She held out her hand. "Then why don't you give me back what's mine and we'll forget this whole thing ever happened, then." Home was calling her name, where she wanted to hide under the covers. She felt ashamed for being such a coward, but something about these Hunters made her skin crawl.

"Only if you co-operate." The right one smiled, his cheeks dimpling. Holly tried not to snarl at him. The charm was still in his grasp, but she didn't dare making a move to take it.

"Dean, stop it." Sam's voice was steel, but Holly still felt the openness radiate from his aura. He wasn't pushy or cold like the other one, Dean. Her drawings didn't lie.

Holly crossed her arms, suddenly feeling vulnerable. She forgot her surroundings for a moment, and glared at Dean.

"I'd prefer if you didn't fuck with my head," she hissed. "What you're holding happens to be very special to me. Don't expect me to even be co-operable if I don't get it back."

Dean seemed taken aback, but the charm still didn't drop from his hand. "This is why I hate witches," he said, turning to Sam. "They're always so…angry."

"Dean, damnit, just give her the thing. We only want to ask you a couple of questions," he said, turning to Holly, who was still seething. "We're not here to disturb the peace."

Holly felt her heart beat steady a little. Something about Sam's voice soothed her, but she still kept a cold gaze on Dean. Anyone who hated witches was an enemy in her book.

"Fine." Dean slammed her charm on the table, pushing it towards her. "Have your little charm."

Holly stared at it for a second, surprised he gave it back, but she snatched it up. It felt warm in her palm, and it felt like home, even it had been in the hands of a Hunter.

She was surprised she was even still here talking to them. They were a danger to her, even if they portrayed the whole cop investigation thing. Nice looking cops….shit, she was losing her mind.

Holly wanted to walk away, but Sam held up a hand. "Please, don't leave," he said. "Sit. I give you my word my brother won't try anything, and neither will I."

So they were brothers. Holly found it hard they were related to each other.

She turned her head to nod at Randy, who was looking expectantly at the table. Dean waved to him, grinning with that smug look on his face still. Randy just turned his attention back to serving customers.

Holly looked down at her hands, shoving her charm safely in the zippered pocket inside her purse. She wasn't about to go losing it again.

Pulling up a chair, she slowly sat down. Sam and Dean both looked expectantly at her, and for a few moments, green met gold. Then Holly cast her gaze down again.

"What exactly do you know about me?" she asked, defeated. It was obvious they knew her background, but they didn't seem about to jump her right then and there. She pried a little with her ability, and came up empty. There were no evil thoughts toward her at that moment, just curiosity and determination.

Sam answered. "We know about you and your family. We know you're a witch. I'm sorry to hear about your parents," he said, lowering his voice. "I know how you feel."

"You're sorry?" Holly scrunched her brows, anger flaring once again. "If you know my life story, then you would know they were killed by a Hunter." She looked at Dean. "That's what you guys are, aren't you?"

Dean leaned back on his chair. "Got that right. Are you sure that's what killed your parents?"

Without even thinking about it, Holly's nostrils flared. She hated this feeling of being so angry. "Damn right, I know. I was _there._" With the anger came tears. "I just try to forget about it sometimes. But I know what I saw. They were hunting my parent's friends, and somehow the Hunter needed to dispatch of anyone that got in the way."

Sam ran a hand through his shaggy brown hair. "Holly, I'm sorry for your loss, but whoever was hunting that night must have had a good reason to kill. Maybe you were just mistaken."

Holly shook her head, lips trembling. "I was fifteen. I was there, in the woods. I saw their throats cut." She choked on her words, and hated herself for it. Never show weakness.

"I still hear their screams in my dreams." There. Her secret was out. No one knew she had seen her parents die, not even the people she was closest to before they died. The police didn't even know.

Sam and Dean exchanged a look, as if they were communicating silently.

"Which leaves me a question- why in hell should I help you two? For all I know, it's just helping who killed my parents. And besides," she turned to face Dean again. "If you hate witches, why are you asking for my help?"

"Because I had to," Dean answered. "I never said I was happy about it. There just happens to be something else in this town, and it has different plans."

Holly narrowed her eyes. She only knew of one supernatural being in Savannah, and that was herself. It was a quiet part of town, and she personally checked for any disturbances, just in case whoever killed her parents decided to make a re-appearance.

"I don't understand," she said. "I haven't sensed anything wrong around here. No one has…" she lowered her voice. "Died, have they?"

Sam pulled out a piece of paper, cut out of the local newsprint. He laid it out on the table in front of her. It was a picture of a young man, aged thirty, under the obituaries. Holly scanned the article.

"Body found, throat torn, drained of blood." She widened her eyes. "Where did you get this?"

"We've been hunting the local newspapers for signs of killings like this. We had a hint that there might be some trouble down south, and we found it here," Sam said. "We're hunting whatever killed this man. Did you know him?"

Holly shook her head, in disbelief. "No I didn't, but if I didn't know any better, I would say that's a-"

"Vampire kill?" Dean answered for her, nodding his head. "We think so. Hard buggers to hunt, too. They appear like humans. Do you ever notice any suspicious looking figures in this bar at night?"

Holly shook her head, still taking all of this information in. "I don't understand, what does this have to do with me?"

"We found your charm last night, and we knew if anybody had answers, it would be the local witch." Dean winked at her. "We've heard stories about you from the bartender, and I guessed it right away."

Holly stared open-mouthed at him. "So you lured me in with my own charm?"

"Look, Holly, it's Holly Gaines, right?" Sam cut in. Holly nodded, not even bothering to ask how they found out her name- probably from Randy. "We just wanted to ask you if you knew about anything going on in the area. Despite what my brother says," He cast a look at Dean, "we're not here to hurt you. Perhaps you've seen something?"

Holly began to shake her head, but then she remembered last night. "There was something last night when I was sitting at the bar. Some guy walked in, right over there." She pointed to the side entrance. "He was sort of shady looking, and I got this weird vibe from him. I usually like to drop in and search for things like that, every Friday. It's when the freaks come out."

Dean snorted. "Oh, we know."

Holly narrowed her eyes at him. She was getting an antsy feeling now, and wanted to leave. "If you don't mind, I'd rather get out of here. You've got what you wanted, right?" she turned to Sam. "And I'd prefer if you stuck to your word. I don't really feel comfortable around Hunters, and I'd like to be left alone." Her hands trembled again. What was wrong with her?

Sam nodded. "Thanks for your help, Holly."

She stood up, hesitantly, clutching her purse to her side, and pushed her chair in. Sam and Dean both watched her, and it made her insides churn. To think, she had just sat down and had a conversation with two Hunters! Dad would have killed her.

She nodded briskly at them, and turned to walk away. Behind her, she heard Dean say, "She was hot." Rolling her eyes, Holly made her way to the door. Guys were all the same, Hunters or not.

Outside felt refreshing, like bindings being taken off of her wrists. She felt freed, like a weight had been lifted off of her chest.

Her car turned on at a twitch in her thoughts. The parking lot was empty; silent. As she pulled open the door, there was a rustle of leaves over by where the Impala was parked. Holly stopped, holding her breath.

She sensed nothing, which was weird. Even if it were an animal, she would pick up something.

She lowered her body into the Coop, sinking into the leather seat, all the while keeping her eyes trained on the spot where she heard the sound. She shut the door quietly.

It was probably just a tiny bird, small enough not to cause a blip on her radar.

Holly was about to put the car into driving gear when the door to Randy's burst open, and the two brothers walked out, heading towards their Impala. Holly watched them, not sure what to do.

She saw a glint of silver as Dean slid a knife out of his pocket.

"Shit!" she hissed, as they headed into the woods.

They were on the hunt, and she was caught in between.

Holly watched them walk, shadows in the light, for a moment, sweat breaking out over her skin. Her car's engine died under her fingertips. The Hunters disappeared into the forest, and she lost sight of them, briefly picking up in spirit tracking where they left off.

They were completely set on killing this thing.

Holly shut the door quietly and took off running, making sure she kept her footsteps light. These men were still extremely dangerous to her, even if they proposed peace. She followed their tracks, slipping into the woods quietly. Ahead, she could hear the crashing of leaves and branches, and she knew they were giving chase.

A branch whipped across her cheek as she sprinted, drawing blood. Holly wiped it away, ignoring the sting. She was barely picking up Sam and Dean's tracks now, as if they were getting farther away. Instead, a strong, dark scent filled her thoughts. It was the same feeling she had gotten when she had opened the bar door.

If it wasn't Sam and Dean's, whose was it?

Holly stopped as a clearing came into view. Ahead, in her path, there were broken branches and crushed leaves. They had definitely come through here, into the moonlit clearing. She could see dark figures.

She wanted to call out to them, but wouldn't risk it. If she was responsible for letting the thing get away, she was dead meat, just like her parents.

Instead, she crouched, barely hidden, watching the figures move.

She discovered it was hard to read the two brothers. Their thoughts were moving, indignant masses, writhing with secrets. Both were so full of energy; ready to move. Mostly, her ability was picking up the other scent with full force. Something else was here, in this field, ready to attack. Its violent demeanour frightened Holly. She needed to find whatever it was, and warn the brothers before things got nasty.

She leaned forward a bit, tilting her head to inspect the surrounding forest. In the centre of the field, the brothers searched, and their voices were slight murmurs to her ears.

There. Another figure entered the clearing, blending into the tall grass, slinking low. Its aura matched what Holly was feeling perfectly. She caught an evil, sadistic wind. It was ready to kill.

She leapt forward, hands swinging at her sides. The grass whistled around her legs, and Holly flinched at the sound she was making. It was ten feet away, five…

"No!" she cried, springing into the air just as the figure made a move to attack the two brothers. By now, they were alarmed and had their guns out, pointed at both Holly and the creature. Her arms made contact with a solid body, and they both rolled to the ground, hitting it hard. Her ears were filled with the sound of snarls and the ripping of cloth. Her jacket was being torn to shreds. Something cut her stomach.

"Sonofabitch," she growled, jabbing her feet into the thing's side. Her head was filled with an intense pain, and the next thing she knew, she was lying face up in the dirt, and there were shouts overhead. The pain flooded her skull.

"Holly, what the hell are you doing here?" Sam demanded, pulling her up. Holly resisted throwing up and instead brushed herself off. Dean had his gun jammed to the figure's head, and Holly saw now that it was a human man, blood running down his cheeks and his clothing was torn and dirty. She noticed the glint of a second set of teeth in the flashlight Sam had pointed towards the man. So there _was_ a vampire in town.

Holly held a hand to the throbbing bump on the right side of her head, and drew back when she felt a sticky red substance. Blood. She saw the man's eyes flash wildly at her.

"I saw you guys leave the bar, and I knew you were after something. I had to follow."

"You people never learn, do you?" Dean muttered, shifting on his feet, the gun still at the man's head. "Don't get in the way of a Hunt. You saw what happened to your parents."

Holly was filled with rage again, as he spoke. He had no right to talk about the dead like that.

Sam grabbed her shoulder. "You need to get back and get help. Dean and I will finish up here. Go, Holly! Now!"

Holly was turning on her heels when she heard the vampire laugh behind her. It was a deep, silky chuckle, and it chilled her to the core. She whipped around to see the man still staring at her.

"Holly," he said, his tongue sliding over his fangs. "It's so very nice to see you again."

There was a moment of cold silence, and Holly blanched.

"I'm sorry?" she asked, stepping forward, while Sam held her back. "What did you say to me?"

"Four years ago," the vampire answered; his voice was still calm and slid into her ears like an icy river. "You. Me. A little rendezvous with your parents and their friends, no?"

Holly blinked at him, confused. "A Hunter killed my parents."

He grinned, his teeth flashing at her. "Oh, you poor little girl. Brought up to hate Hunters, and you see your parents die in front of your eyes. So then, it must have been a Hunter that killed them, eh? Only could have been a Hunter. Because of course, there's no such thing as vampires." He said the last sentence mockingly, rolling his head around, and Dean grabbed him by the collar, gritting his teeth at the man.

Holly noticed her hands were shaking again, and she could see the blue of her veins. Sam stepped up next to her. "What are you saying, beast?"

"I'm saying I'm the one that cut her precious parent's throats, and I came back to town to finish the job. I never knew they had a daughter watching the whole thing," The man narrowed his eyes at Holly. "Until it was too late. I had to flee town because the feds were all over the case."

Holly gasped, the air not coming fast enough. Her head was pounding, and her knees felt wobbly. She couldn't believe what this thing was saying. "Why…why would you do such a thing?" she tried to place anger in her voice, but instead it came out in a whine. The vampire chuckled again, the sound filled with pleasure at the sound of her fear.

"My dear, your parents weren't the target. It was their friends. They were the fresh meat." He licked his lips. "Your parents merely got in the way. But you see, I couldn't have their offspring running around, still alive. I always have to finish the job. It's just a bonus that you're a witch." He grinned again, fingers sliding up his jeans. Dean watched him intently, and Sam had pulled out his gun as well.

"Holly, I want you to leave. Right now," he muttered out of the side of his mouth, looking at her. "Let us take care of this."

Holly shook her head, her hands fluttering nervously. Her whole body was shaking now, and she was leaning on one foot. Her whole life, she had been brought up to be wary of the Hunters. The death of her parents had been the cherry on top, because in her mind it had been a Hunter who had done it. For the past four years she had hated and feared them with a passion, and all for the sake of this evil creature that had deceived her.

She wanted to kill him.

"Holly, no!" Sam threw out his arm to block her way as she threw herself forward. Her thoughts were filled with images of tearing the man limb from limb. She didn't care if it was murder. To her, it was revenge.

The man was laughing. Dean was yelling. Holly was resisting, while Sam was reasoning.

There was a gunshot; it echoed in the empty clearing, and Holly turned away, gripping the sides of her pounding head.

There was a groan, a man was yelling, though she didn't know who, and the sound of footsteps.

Silence.

"Dean!" that was Sam, and she heard scuffling. She sensed panic and anger, and she realized the dark, dirty scent was no longer lingering in her mind. The vampire was gone.

_Dean must be hurt. _

"Fuck." Holly kept one hand on her throbbing head wound, crawling towards the sounds of distress. She felt panic radiating off of Sam, who was shaking his brother. Dean was covered in blood, and Holly found the source of it immediately. There was a bullet in his chest.

_Oh, no. _

All feelings of hatred towards Dean forgotten, Holly sent her hands ripping open his shirt, aiding Sam in lifting Dean off of the ground. She needed a bandage, quickly. She tore a strip off of her dress, the black fabric fluttering in the wind, which was picking up. All thoughts were on saving this man.

"Holly, call 911," Sam sputtered, while trying to revive his brother. "Dean!" he yelled. "Wake up, Dean. Stay with me!"

Holly dug around inside her purse. "My cell is at home!" she exclaimed in horror. All she saw was the blood running out of Dean's chest. There was no hope.

Dean's eyelids fluttered. He was still alive.

Holly was suddenly struck with an idea, and adrenaline began to pump in her veins as she pushed herself back up on her feet. "Sam, bring him back to the car," she yelled, her voice giving out. She couldn't believe she was about to do this, but it was the only solution she had in mind.

"We've got to get him to the hospital," Sam was saying as he lifted Dean up into his arms. He had strength, Holly could give him that.

"No," Holly took off walking, limping slightly. "Sam, the hospital won't help him now. We've got to get him to my apartment."

"He's _dying_, Holly. Witchcraft won't work on him." Sam was distressed, and Holly could feel intense hope, mixed with determination. Maybe he truly did love his brother.

"Sam, trust me," she whispered, turning around to face him. "I can fix this."

It was her fault. She could see it in Sam's eyes that his hope was draining for Dean's life, and it was her fault. All because of some bloodthirsty vampire that couldn't keep his fucking fangs to himself.

Sam looked around, defeated. "We've got to get moving, quickly." Dean groaned and rolled his head. "Now!"

Holly took off at a limping run, ignoring the pain. Her thoughts were focused on saving the dying man in Sam's arms. Anger mixed with adrenaline mixed with fear rushed through her veins. Somewhere out there, a crazy vampire was on the loose.

Holly had never raced for her life before, but she was experiencing it now. The stakes were life and death. She swatted tree branches out of the way, making sure Sam was right behind her. He wasn't wounded, but his pants were growing heavy. Strong or not, Dean must be dead-weight. She grimly gritted her teeth at the pun.

Ahead, she could see the parking lot lights. She prayed to the goddesses that no one heard the gun-shots, and wouldn't see the bloody man in Sam's arms.

Fumbling for her keys, she unlocked the car with her mind. Stepping over the curb and out of the forest, she took off at a run. Her body was aching and her head felt like it was splitting open, but she couldn't bear to see this Hunter die, especially when they were both after the same monster.

She realized then that Dean wouldn't be able to fit inside the backseat of the Coop.

"Shit, Sam, we need your car!" she called, turning on her heels. Sam must have thought the same thing as well, for he was dragging Dean along the curb, heading for the Impala. Holly sprinted back towards them. Unlocking the car with her mind, she ripped open the back door and helped Sam lay the older man inside. His eyes were rolling back in his head. Urgency gripped her heart.

"You drive!" Sam said. Holly didn't waste a second, as she closed her eyes and found a way to start the unfamiliar car quickly, ignoring the pain that was pounding inside her skull, growing worse. The engine purred.

Sliding into the front seat, she whipped the car into gear. Her hair was flying all out over her ponytail. Sam raced to the passenger seat. His face was white, and Holly imagined hers was too.

She thanked the goddess that there was no one loitering in the dimly lit parking lot.

The drive to her apartment seemed to take hours. Every moment she glanced back in the rear view mirror, at Dean's face, which was scrunched with pain. He said little, saving his strength. "Oh, god," she whispered, as the light turned red in front of her. She stepped on the gas, speeding through the intersection.

"Holly, easy," Sam murmured, though she could tell he was anxious. His hands were gripping his brothers, his jaw clenched. Holly shook her head. "Almost there."

When she slid into her apartment's lot, everything was a blur. She helped Sam lift Dean again, and she took off at a run, opening all the locks to the front door, and probably every other door in the building, with the state she was in. She was losing control of her mind, along with her magic. She felt the world crumbling around her.

"Up a floor!" she yelled back down, not waiting for Sam, who was racing through the doors. She leapt up the stairs. She needed to find that book.

"Room 201!" as she said it, the door banged open, and she winced as she realized the neighbours, if they weren't awake already, would be woken up. Then she realized she didn't give a shit. Dean's life was all that mattered right now.

_I'm going to save his life. I'm going to save him. _

Her vision was blurring as she sped through into her flat, gasping for breath as she headed for the living room. An old cabinet stood beside the window. She ripped open the doors, relieved as she heard Sam enter behind her. "The table," she ordered, breathless. "Lay him down on the dining table."

There was shuffling and groaning behind her. Dean was rousing.

"He needs to stay still!" she exclaimed, pulling old books off of the shelves. She was looking for a big fat one, leather bound with a cracked spine. A crescent moon adorned the cover. There! She pulled it out, dust filling the air.

Dean was muttering drowsily. Holly hurriedly flipped through the pages with her mind, scanning for the title she wanted: _LIFE BONDING._

Her eyes almost missed it, but she slammed the book down next to Dean's head, her palm over the words. "Here," she said, gasping. Sam was on the other side of the table, pressing the cloth of her dress down on his wound. His face was growing paler. "Holly, this better work," he said, and she realized he was putting his trust and his brother's life in the complete hands of a stranger. She admired that.

"I hope," Holly whispered under her breath. The incantation was long, but she was glad she needed no special herbs. She reached behind her, and felt on the counter for her plants, calling them to her. Meadowsweet, Pimpernel, and Rue. She crushed them together quickly; whispering under her breath an ancient mixing spell her mother taught her when she was little. The plants became past under her fingers. She rolled them into a ball, holding it over a candle, which she light with her mind quickly, ignoring the pounding headache. The smell filled the room instantly. She felt Sam stiffen.

"Shh," she held a finger to her lips. She dropped the melting ball into a glass beaker, and let it burn. She reached up and plucked a hair out of her head, dropping it into the flames. Holly turned around, facing Sam. "I need a hair off of his head."

"Holly, we don't have time!"

"This is our _only_ time!" she hissed, then regretted it. Sam was genuinely worried. "Please, just trust me," she sighed, scrunching her brow. She knew she had to get moving.

Dean's hair was short, and it would be hard to grip. Scissors flew to her hand, and she quickly snipped a hair off of his scalp and underneath her touch, Dean flinched. Holly turned around and dropped the hair in. Now came the hard part.

"I need his blood," she said quickly, bringing the fire-filled glass to the table, resting it by Dean's body. Sam swallowed hard, and her heart fluttered in her chest, panic squeezing her lungs. "Please," she gasped. "I know what I'm doing." _Sort of. _

_ Please, oh great Goddess, let this man live. _

Sam reached for the cloth that was covering Dean's wound, but Holly shook her head, hating that she had to do this. "It has to be fresh." A pin appeared suddenly on the table. She blinked slowly at it.

Sam stared at her, urging.

Holly gulped, grabbed Dean's paling hand, and pricked his skin, trying to be gentle. He didn't move. This sent her heart beating heavily again. A drop of blood formed on his finger.

She held out her fingers, catching it as it fell. Rushed, she smeared it on her lips, ignoring the salty taste. Then, she cut her own finger, and she held it over Dean's mouth. Her blood congealed around his closed lips. She hoped he wouldn't open his mouth, because she saw by the slight rise and fall in his chest that he was barely alive.

Holly knew she had to do this fast. Grabbing the old spell book, she began to chant. She held the book over Dean's body, keeping her back straight, and she kept her voice as steady as she could. His blood ran down her chin. It was scarcely warm. Sam watched, silent, from across the table.

The slow, rhythmic words filled the room, and Holly felt the world grow silent around her as her lips formed the ancient phrases. Her mind felt heavy, and she felt her heart rate slow. But still, she kept reading, her eyes scanning the words, making sure she didn't make any mistakes. She could still taste Dean's blood on her lips, and she saw that hers wasn't running off of Dean's mouth, which relieved her. After what seemed like forever, she finished the chant. The air was thick with the scent of the herbs and with heavy, old magic. Holly closed her eyes, silently thanking the Goddess, and she leaned over, slowly bringing her mouth towards Dean's.

This was the final part. She needed this to work, or else Dean was dead. She ached, with her heart and soul, for this bonding to work.

She kissed his cold lips, their blood mingling, and Holly felt a shiver run through her body instantly, and not from the cold.

Dean's eyelids flickered again, and his lips began to move, just the slightest. Holly held her position there, for a moment, as she felt the magic work. She focused her every sense on giving all her strength to him. Her mind began to grow fuzzy.

She gave it a few moments, and pulled away. Below her, the colour was returning to Dean's face, slowly but surely. Holly fell back against the cupboard, her legs giving out. She was giving her strength to him, and she felt it draining. She smiled, leaning her head back.

Sam's voice was aghast. "Holly, what's happening?" He stood up, leaning over Dean, who was coughing.

"Strength transfer," she answered, coughing. The blood sprayed off her lips, and her arms shook as she wiped it off. "I'm giving my strength to him." She closed her eyes again, too tired to talk. Her heart rate was slowing even more, and the edges of her mind were blacking out.

She heard Dean's voice, and she was filled with relief. "Sammy? What's going on?"

She could feel Sam's instant happiness. "Dean."

Holly was fading, fast. She let her arms drop to her sides, and her head tilt towards the floor.

The tiles rose to meet her face.

The headache was gone.

The last thing she heard was footsteps.


	3. Chapter 3

_There was a dark filled room. _

_ Holly was strapped down on a hard bed and her body was covered in blood. She hovered over her helpless body, watching as the last breaths struggled their way out of her own throat. There were evil red eyes lurking in the darkness._

_ She heard a chilling, haunting laugh. _

_ Holly watched herself scream, twisting under the bonds. A clawed hand grabbed her throat, and Holly saw the vampire reach down to sink his teeth into her skin._

_ A door opened; there was light, and two figures entered the room. She saw Sam and Dean's face illuminated. They were saving her?_

_ Of course they were saving her. _

_ I saved him._

_ I saved him..._

She gasped, opening her eyes, her vision blurring.

Breathing, one, two... there were spots on her ceiling.

Her head ached like a bitch.

Why did her head hurt? What had happened last night... she felt a tugging in her senses, motioning towards the right. Turn over? Holly blinked. She was in her bed, lying on her back. She focused her mind, trying to regain memory of last night's events.

_Holy shit._ Where was Dean?

"Mmmrrphhh," she groaned as she rolled herself over, her head sore as it rubbed against the pillow. Her vision re-focused on two pale green orbs.

"Dean!" she hissed, leaning up on her elbow. Bad idea. The pain was so intense that Holly flung herself back down again, gripping the sides of her head.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," Dean held out his hands. "Stay down, Holly. You're giving me a headache."

"Giving you a headache?" Holly muttered, laying her palms over her forehead. "My brain feels like it's on fire."

She could feel it now, running smoothly between them; their connection. They were bonded, and Dean was alive.

_I'm bonded to a Hunter!_

Holly realized the impact in the truth of that statement. Even though it wasn't really a Hunter that killed her parents, she had still grown up knowing to keep her distance from them. And here was one, sitting at the edge of her bed, watching her,_ bonded_ to her. And as Holly remembered, she did the bonding herself.

_What have I got myself into?_

"I'm not all too pleased about it either," Dean said, leaning back in his chair, fresh bandages on his chest and face, with clean clothing on. "But I guess I owe you my thanks, witch." The words may have been harsh, but Holly felt his grudging relief.

She grimaced, attempting to sit up again. "Dean, it's not all rainbows and roses right now. I don't exactly know the circumstances of this...whatever it is." She gestured between them. "But you're welcome, I guess. I just couldn't stand there and watch you die."

Awkward silence. Sam was gone from the room. Holly finally managed to get into a sitting position, all the while cringing as her head throbbed. Dean's face mirrored her pain.

"That douche bag of a vamp must have left you with quite a mark."

She swallowed, hard, nodding. It was such a weird feeling, knowing you shared a life force with someone you barely knew, let alone that someone being a Hunter. She realized they were alone, in her room. The first guy she had ever had in her room, she thought ironically, was a demon-killer.

"Where's Sam?" she asked quietly, trying not to sway and fall over again. "I'm sure he'll have some questions to ask me." By the look on Dean's face she knew she was right. She got this feeling from Sam, that he was the one who liked to dive deep into things, to gather as much information as he could. He was there for the spell, but did he really understand it? Hell, Holly didn't even understand it herself.

"Knock, knock," she heard Sam's voice as he stepped in the room. "I heard my name. And I brought donuts." He held up a paper bag and Holly could smell coffee. Surprisingly, it didn't make her feel sick. "Holly, I'm glad to see that you're up."

"I'm glad to see everything worked out alright," Holly answered, smiling slightly. "I mean, I hate to say this now, but I had my doubts about this whole spell thing working."

"Well it did, that's for sure." Sam paced to her bedside, handing her a cup. She took it, and was grateful for the warmth in her hands. "I asked Dean to go grab the coffee but he couldn't leave the apartment." He sat down on her tiny desk chair, and Holly found it slightly amusing at how his large form swamped her furniture.

"Yeah," Dean said, scratching the back of his head. "You see, I'm glad my heart's still beating and all that, but we have a couple of problems we need to discuss. First," he held up his fingers and ticked them off as he went. "I can't seem to separate from Holly here for very long, which is going to be a big problem. Second, that sonofabitch is still on the loose, and third, this coffee tastes like ass." He took a sip and made a face, which made Holly snort, which then started a chain reaction of a headache and Dean's complaining.

Sam leaned forward in his chair and sighed. He glanced at Holly.

"I need you to tell me everything you know about that spell you did, especially about how to break it." The look on his face was serious, and Holly saw Dean's eyes were as well. They were both determined Hunters, she remembered, and their bond was going to mess up their job ridiculously.

She played with the coffee cup, nervous. She knew a little about the spell, but she didn't want to get into about how to break it, because technically, there wasn't a possible way.

"Holly." Sam's voice was gentle but pressing.

She looked up, pushing hair out of her eyes. It was falling all out of her ponytail.

"Okay, I'll tell you what I know. Believe me, I don't like it either, but it was the only thing I could do." She lifted her eyes to the ceiling, searching. "That spell is ancient- it was originally created for husbands and wives when the husbands would leave on long trips. It was their way to stay connected, to feel close to one another."

"But they could leave each other, then! How come I can't walk ten feet out of this apartment?" Dean said, taking a huge bite out of a donut, the icing sugar leaving dust tracks around his lips. Holly suddenly had a huge sugar craving.

"I don't know, that's the part that's boggling me," she said, shaking her head. "This spell is so old; there could be certain variables within it. The best possible solution is that it was because you were dying, and I shared my life force with you. Strength sharing wasn't what the spell was originally created for."

Sam furrowed his brow. "Well, if you two have a life connection, does that mean you can feel each other's pain?"

"My god, yes," Dean answered, rubbing his head. "That vampire's seriously going to bleed when I get my hands on him."

Holly nodded, placing her hands on her knees. "And Sam, I seriously don't know how to break this thing. I would go as far as saying it can only be broken if one of us...dies."

Dean stopped chewing, giving her a look. "But I thought it was our life forces that were connected. Doesn't that mean if one of us dies, the other one dies as well?"

Holly shrugged. "That's the best I can come up with. I'm not my grandmother. It's not like I read _Witches Weekly, _or anything. What I did last night was the first spell I have performed since my parents died. So yea, the circumstances here are looking pretty grim."

Sam got up to pace. "There's got to be some other way, or a variable, like you said. The bond between you and Dean isn't even normal, so what if the way to break it is different as well?"

"I can't say," Holly said, hating this interrogation. "I don't like not knowing what to do, but right now all we should be focusing on is killing this vampire."

Dean dusted his hands off and got up. Holly saw then the gun lying on her bedside table. She shivered slightly.

"Right, but Sam," he said, turning to his brother. "She can't come with us."

Holly stared hate-daggers at his back. There was no way in hell she was being left behind.

Sam crossed his arms, leaning against her bedroom wall. "Right, Dean. Of course she can't come with us. 'Cause, you know, you're totally capable of leaving this building without her. Sure, that's a great idea."

"Hey guys? I'm right here!" Holly exclaimed, waving her hand. The two brothers turned to look at her.

"I would come with you either way," she continued, struggling to stand up. She wobbled a bit and leaned on her bedpost. Her arms felt heavy.

"I don't care if I interfere with your Hunt. This is _my _hunt, too. That thing killed my parents. And apparently, it's stalking me now. You really think I'm going to sit here and let you two do all the work?"

"I'm sorry to burst your bubble, doll face, but you've done enough work already," Dean said, walking out of the room. Sam rolled his eyes.

Holly watched him, open-mouthed. "Is he always like this?"

"On a good day," Sam joked, handing her a donut. "Here. You look like you need the sugar."

Holly took it, allowing herself to smile a bit. "I probably look like I've been to Hell and back."

Maybe these Hunters weren't so bad after all.

"Believe me, you haven't seen nothing yet," Sam replied, glancing at the drawings beside him. "Are these yours?"

"Uh, yes." Holly walked forward a bit, ignoring the headache. "I'm an art student. SCAD is the main reason my parents wanted to move here. They wanted me to pursue my passion, I guess. They wanted me to have a normal life."

"Huh." Sam turned around, checking out her work. "These are pretty good."

"Thanks," Holly answered, leaning on the doorframe. In the kitchen, she knew Dean was raiding her fridge. Underneath the pain and the distraction of the constant pull towards the other Hunter, she felt something with Sam. She felt a deeper layer with him, like he had many emotions curled up inside him.

"Did you ever have a passion?" she asked, knowing he was hiding something. Sam turned around, awkwardly putting his hands in his pockets.

"Uh...I was a law student for a bit," he said. "But to make a long story short, my brother got in contact with me, and this has been my life for the past couple of years."

"Sounds like a fun time."

"You sure get chummy with those freaks that come out at night."

Holly grinned a bit. "Listen, I'm sorry about this whole bonding thing. I know it's going to be awkward, but I really want to help you catch this thing."

Sam looked out the window, and Holly saw that the sun was already up above the horizon a fair ways. It must have been about ten o'clock. "It's not the ideal condition for us right now, but all things aside, we're grateful, Holly. That was brave, what you did."

She felt her cheeks warm, and rubbed her arm. She didn't know what to say.

"Hey, guys," Dean stuck his head in the room, waving her TV remote around in his hand. "Come look at this."

Holly hobbled out the door, and made her way to the kitchen table, where Dean and Sam had their random paraphernalia spread out, along with her spell book and drops of Dean's blood. She counted a couple of guns, knives, more newspaper clippings, a ratty looking journal, and a cell phone. Sam came up behind her, placing his hands on the back of a chair.

"What did you find?"

Dean held up the remote, pointing to Holly's flat screen, which was mounted on the wall between the kitchen and living room. A woman's face was reporting on the screen. Dean turned it up.

"...found this morning, in the ditch across the field from a pub by the name of Randy's. Police are reporting it as foul play, and are informing citizens to stay alert for any suspicious upcoming events. This is the second murder of this sort this week, but an animal attack is not being ruled out yet." The reporter shuffled papers around on her desk, her cover-up gleaming in the harsh light.

A picture appeared on the screen. Holly gasped, reaching across to grab the remote from Dean.

"Hey!"

"I'm pausing it," she muttered, stepping closer to the television. She pressed the pause button, glad for TiVo.

The screen froze on the snap shot of a young man's face, blond, round-cheeked, with frat boy blue eyes.

It was Francis.

"Oh, shit," Holly whispered, covering her mouth.

"Do you know that boy?" Sam asked, hovering over her shoulder.

She nodded. "He hit on me occasionally whenever I was at Randy's. He attended a college nearby here..." she sat down on the couch. "I can't believe he's dead."

"That vampire must have caught him on the way out," Dean said, leaning on her kitchen counter, fiddling with one of his guns. It made Holly a bit nervous. "Hey," he said, holding it up. "Guns are your friends."

"But they're no good against what we're Hunting," Sam said, walking to the counter and flipping through the journal. "Good thing Bobby gave us a heads up about what's down here in Savannah. This guy seems like a real grade-A psycho."

Holly leaned back, still in shock. Francis was dead.

Was the vampire purposely targeting people she knew?

Dean set his gun down on the table. "Well, we've got to get a move on. This thing could be planning its next kill."

Sam looked at Holly. "It could get a bit bloody."

"Oh, it will," Dean said, grabbing a knife and shoving it in his jeans.

Holly was silent for a moment. The thought of getting her revenge for the death of her parents made her heart race. This vampire was dead meat to her.

As long as she didn't become dead meat first.

Holly stood up, rubbing her arm. "I need to clean up a bit, first," she said awkwardly. She could tell she was a walking disaster. "Don't try leaving without me."

"I would if I could!" Dean called after her as she stepped into her bedroom.

Holly found herself in front of her bathroom mirror, and she blinked at her reflection. Her face was pretty banged up. Aside from the bandage on the side of her head, the rest of her was quite dirty and bloody. The skin on her face was cut up with tiny scratches and bruises. There was a giant bruise on her arm, and as she peeled back her dress, which was also cut up, she found a bloody, black mark on her stomach. She groaned.

Turning the tap on, she grabbed a few towels and face-cloths. She splashed water on her face, feeling the cool moisture run off her skin, and she felt refreshed. Her makeup was splattered all over her cheeks, and she scrubbed it off with a cloth. There were patches of dirt all in her long, tangled hair, and she ran her wet hands through it. After that, she washed all of her cuts out and placed a couple of bandages over the gash in her side. It stung.

She needed new clothes. Holly picked at what was left of her lace dress, sighing. It had been one of her favorites. Fucking vampire.

Leaving the bathroom, Holly dug through her closet, searching for something that could take some wear and tear; something that would be easy to move in. She grabbed a tight black long sleeved shirt, and slipped on some comfortable jeans. Pausing by her dresser, she saw her purse.

Digging through it, she grabbed her lucky pentacle charm, hooking it around her neck. It glowed beneath her collar-bone as she stared in the mirror. She looked pretty hag, but what did it matter anyways? She was going on a Hunt. With Hunters that weren't exactly on friendly terms with her kind. What did Dean have against witches, anyways? She knew they weren't the most angelic people, but her family had never hurt anyone. He must have had some awful run in with a demonic coven, or something.

Holly slipped her hands in her pockets, gazing around at her room. Would this be the last time she would see it ever again? The vampire's words echoed in her head: _…__I'm the one that cut her precious parent's throats, and I came back to town to finish the job._

She swallowed hard, focusing on the drawings of Sam and Dean on her wall. There were a bunch of them, she realized- shadows in the distance, menacing figures with guns and scythes. Somehow, her inner conscience had been trying to tell her that they were coming. Now the question remained, Holly thought, turning towards her bedroom door, were they here to save help her, or something else?

"Holly?" Sam's voice came through the door, along with a soft knock. "Are you alright?"

_Why did he care? _She thought, pausing with her hand on the doorknob.

She opened the door, and brushed past him. "Let's go."

"Right," Sam said, following her out her front door. Holly turned to lock it. Dean was waiting outside, looking anxious. "Finally," he said. Holly raised an eyebrow at him. He held up his hands.

Sam looked between the two, his eyes glowing in the hallway lighting. Holly realized he was a good head taller than her, and it made her feel even more intimidated by the presence of the Hunters, though it was being numbed by the comfort she felt by being so close to Dean. It sort of gave her the creeps, the way she was drawn to him.

Okay, it did give her the full-on creeps.

"Holly, before we get started, did you…did you see anything suspicious yesterday? Maybe you saw the vampire somewhere in town? We don't have much leads on where this thing keeps its nest, as a matter of fact, it's pretty much a ghost to us. But we do know," Sam hesitated, "that it has its eye on you."

Holly rested her hand on the wooden ledge of the wall. She thought back to her cemetery visit the day before. Her neck prickled.

"What is it?" Dean asked, frowning.

Holly shifted on her feet. "Were you guys, by any chance, visiting any old cemeteries yesterday?" she glanced from Dean's to Sam's face, and knew they didn't know what she was talking about.

"Shit." She took off down the hallway, feeling a bit light headed, but she tried to ignore the instinct to go running backwards to Dean. This bonding thing was a tad bit inconvenient.

"Holly, wait!" both Hunters paced after her. Sam grabbed her shoulder, turning her around. "What are you talking about?"

"Yesterday, when I was visiting my parent's graves, I saw someone. I thought it was one of you two!" she twisted out of his grip and entered the stairwell, her voice echoing. "I should have figured it out last night."

"You mean this thing has been following you?" Dean's voice boomed behind her as she made her way down the stairs.

"It must have been him. Though why he didn't make a move, I'm not sure," Holly said, pushing open the front doors. Outside, the sunlight hurt her eyes, causing her to avert her gaze to the sidewalk. Her headache returned.

"It's this way," she motioned ahead, and the two followed behind her. People were milling around on the sidewalks, as usual. In the summer, Savannah was quite the attraction. Tourists especially liked to flock to the "haunted" houses, taking the tours and riding the buses. Holly knew it was all a load of bullshit. She had checked out each building herself.

Sam stepped up beside her. "Were you within the vampire's vision when you saw him?"

"He was across the lot. I don't think he saw me, but I didn't take any chances. I spent the rest of the day inside," Holly answered, turning the corner. The cemetery was a few blocks away.

"Do you think he really was making sure I was the right target? I was at my parent's graves..."

"It doesn't matter- this thing has your scent now, and there's no way we're letting you out of our sight," Sam said, still walking beside her. "If he's hunting you, then he won't stop until he gets you where he wants you."

Holly shivered, and it wasn't from a chill. The sun was beating down on the sidewalk ahead, making her eyes sting a little. No, she felt fear. Even with two relentless Hunters by her side, she knew that vampire wasn't going to stop until it killed her, or until they killed it.

"Not that we could leave, anyways," Dean said gruffly. Holly felt his irritation.

"Here," Holly pointed to the left, at the rusted iron gate. The cemetery was surrounded by hanging oaks, hiding it from the public. Sam stopped at the entrance.

"You said he was outside of the cemetery? At the fence?"

"Yeah. Right over there." She swiveled her gaze to the far end of the cemetery's limits, over by a rotting oak tree, bent with age. Beyond the cemetery lay a road with a row of houses, but Holly saw no bustling activity. Sam walked along the fence, and Holly watched him make his way towards the far end.

She was about to make a move to follow, when Dean held his arm out.

"Wait," he said. "What's that?" he pointed to the centre of the cemetery, and Holly followed his direction. Her gaze focused on the headstones of her parents.

There was something else there.

"What?" she shaded her eyes, trying to figure out what she was seeing. There was a big, dark splotch on both headstones. Her heart thumped in her chest.

"Dean," she said, slowly.

"Let's go," he said, brushing past her, and for a moment his shoulder grazed hers. Holly felt a charge of energy, like a sudden sugar rush. She felt breathless.

It had felt so good.

Dean turned to face her for a second, his pale green eyes glowing. Holly wanted to say something, but she swallowed, her heart still racing, and she bowed her head, opening the rusted gate.

She made her way to her parent's graves, the ecstasy just barely wearing off. She felt refreshed; alive. Her mind was a jumble, and her thoughts confused. Dean walked a few steps behind her, but she could tell he was feeling the same thing.

The feeling became numb when she laid her eyes on her parent's burial place.

Her breath caught. Before her, blood was splattered all over the two headstones, thick and dark, and it smelled so horrible that Holly placed a hand over her mouth, choking. Flies were forming over the mess, the buzzing creeping up in her ears.

"Oh, god," Dean exclaimed, waving a hand, and stepping closer. "This is…your parent's…?"

Holly shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. He knew. That son of a bitch was marking his territory.

Her hands shook, gripping her throat. The tears rolled down her cheeks, and she fell on one knee. Dean bowed down, investigating the blood.

"I'd say he came last night. He's definitely on the hunt." His attention turned to the ground, where the dirt was torn up and the grass had been ripped out by the roots. Holly saw her rosemary scattered everywhere. She gasped.

Dean held up something in his fingers, and it glinted in the sun. "What's this?"

Holly saw what it was, and the tears fell hot from her face. "Francis's ring," she said, wiping the liquid off of her cheeks. She could not cry in front of this Hunter, but there was a horrible feeling building inside of her. This vampire was making it clear he didn't care who or what he hurt in order to get to her. "He's the boy that was killed last night."

"That was his class ring," she continued, stepping up and taking the ring from Dean. Blood was molded into the cracks, and Holly could feel the death. "I recognize it from whenever he would see me at the bar."

She shook, and it was a mixture of fear and hate she felt. She closed her eyes.

"Holly? Are you alright?" though she couldn't believe it, Holly could feel a bit of concern emanating from Dean.

She re-opened her eyes, knowing she couldn't be a coward. "He's after me," she stated, tucking the ring in her pocket.

Dean kicked some dirt on the ground. "This is probably the craziest vampire I've ever had the luck to meet," he said."There's something off about him." He awkwardly tucked his hands into his jeans. Holly knew he wanted to say something, but she wouldn't give him the chance.

Holly watched Sam reach the far end of the cemetery, making his way around the area, investigating. "Sam!" she called, waving her hand in the air, and pacing across the yard. Sam looked up, but Holly wasn't close enough to see the expression on his face.

"Dean? Holly?" he yelled, hopping over the collapsing barrier. Holly reached him, out of breath.

"It's the vamp," Dean said, coming up behind her. "He was here last night."

"Is everything alright? What did he do?" Sam looked around, his gaze anxious.

"He poured Francis's blood all over my parent's graves," Holly said, gritting her teeth. "And Dean found this." She showed him the ring. "It belonged to Francis, the boy the vamp killed. The one I knew." Holly raised her eyes to meet Sam's, hoping the tears wouldn't return. "He's making himself clear. He wants me dead."

"Okay," Sam said, walking forward, and placing a hand on Holly's back, leading her out of the cemetery. "If we're going to hunt this thing, then you have to promise me, you won't leave our sides. This guy is serious, Holly. I've never seen anything like this before."

Holly didn't feel the rush she felt when Dean had touched her, but she still felt butterflies in her stomach. Sam's hand was heavy and gentle on her shoulder.

_You're breaking the rules. _

"Right," Holly said, swallowing, still a bit breathless. She couldn't bear to turn back and look at her parent's defaced headstones. The thought of the vampire even stepping on that sacred ground made her fingers curl. "What did you find?"

"Well," Sam said as Dean closed the gate behind them. "There was nothing. No sign of a struggle, or anything, either. Not even footprints."

"Maybe he is a ghost," Holly muttered, folding her arms. People brushed past her, heading down the street. She knew they needed to get out of here and talk privately.

"I still can't believe were going to go on a hunt with a freaking witch," Dean said, and Sam shot him a look.

"But he's, uh, right," he finished, glancing at Holly. "No matter how bad this thing gets, you're staying with us. And I'm sorry for your loss."

He smiled slightly at her, and Holly just really wanted to punch him. She just looked at Sam again. "Why couldn't I have been Bonded to you? Cause I can't hit him without punching myself," Holly said, and smiled fakely at Dean.

She was flirting with goddamn Hunters. The graves of her parents were a few feet away, covered with a dead boy's blood, and she was flirting with Hunters!

Something was getting under her skin, and Holly had a suspicion it had a lot to do with the Bond.

Dean mimicked her, his voice high-pitched.

"Alright, you two, stop." Sam held out his hands. "How bout we find a nice place to just sit and talk? We need to plan things out."

Holly turned a bit, staring down the street. She felt bubbly, which disgusted her a bit.

"There's a secluded park down this way," she gestured to the opposite direction from her apartment, "Or, if we want to try hiding in people, I know this great sandwich shop."

"Mmm, food." Dean said. "I say we grab ourselves some grub and talk over lunch."

The three of them crossed the street, and Holly hoped either one of them wouldn't slip up and expose their weapons in public. She knew the last thing they needed was an investigation.

She walked a bit behind the brothers as they made their way down the sidewalks. Cars and horse carriages rumbled by. Holly knew she would never look at her beloved home town the same way again.

"Here, Holly." Sam opened the door, waving her into the building. She smiled at him.

_You're breaking the rules again. _

Dean slid into a booth at the far end, away from the bulk of costumers. Holly felt the air-conditioning cool her skin. She saw the glint of the knife as Dean made himself comfortable in the seat. She sat beside him, not because she wanted to, but she needed the comfort.

She felt better as soon as she was within a few inches of his presence.

"Well then," Dean said, flipping through the menu. "Let's see how good this place really is." Holly knew he was trying hard to ignore her. She was amused.

Sam sat across from them, folding his hands.

Holly suddenly was hit by another chill. Hunters. She was sitting, planning, with Hunters.

_Don't get in the way. _

She had broken the most important rule.

Holly played with a napkin as Dean discussed salami or beef with himself.

She suddenly didn't care if she broke the rules.

She just wanted to kill this vampire.


	4. Chapter 4

"Alright." Sam pulled out the original article from the paper; the one he had shown Holly in the bar last night. He placed the article in the middle of the table while Dean excused himself to go order food. Holly traced the words "drained of blood" with her finger.

"We know this man and the boy Francis were killed around the same time the vampire figured out you were his target," he continued. "How many he's killed before that, we don't know."

"He's been here for at least five years," Holly said softly. "Maybe longer."

"Do you know of any reason why he would have a motive to kill your parent's friends?"

The memory popped up fresh in Holly's mind, and she shoved it away.

_Moonlit clearing, piercing screams, the blood that had painted the grass red…_

"Holly?" Sam was gazing at her, waiting for an answer.

"Um," Holly played with the charm around her neck. The metal felt good in her hands. "I don't know. They were my parent's closest friends. They had just been going out for a drink."

"They called me…" Holly continued, as Sam listened. "Around ten o'clock that night. It was a weeknight, but of course I did what they told me to do. They asked me to come meet them at the bar, which was odd, because I was only fifteen. But I got a taxi and the next thing I knew, one of the customers was telling me my parents had taken off out the back door. I tried calling them, but it was going to voicemail. So I ran after them. Things got scary when I saw the blood. It was trailing off in a pattern out in the backyard. It lead to some kind of clearing."

Holly closed her eyes, cringing. It was difficult to relive this memory, but Sam was patiently waiting to hear the rest. "It was then that I saw them. My parents and their friends, and one other guy." She swallowed. "That must have been the vampire. My parent's friends were already dead, and I hid in the bushes, terrified. I didn't know what to do. But the next thing I knew, my dad was attacking the vampire and he was dead." Holly tried to keep her voice from shaking. "My mom was next to follow. It was my worst nightmare, in real life. After that, the vampire took off into the woods. I made my way back to the bar, and called 911. The rest is sort of blurry. The doctors told me I had been in shock."

"So, after that, I lived with my grandma for a while, but lately I've been on my own." Holly finished, still playing nervously with her charm. "I got myself that apartment, got into art school, and tried to live out the rest of my life, well, normally."

Sam and she just looked at each other for a moment. "I'm sorry," he said. "That must have been horrible."

"Wow." Holly turned to see Dean holding a foot long sandwich, hovering at the edge of her table. "You know what I think?"

"What?" Holly asked him, feeling a bit irritated as she got out to let him in the booth.

"I think this guy has some kind of problem- other than the vampire part." Dean placed a glass of water in front of him, and Holly felt thirsty. "There's something off about him. I mean, the whole stalking Holly thing, and now the blood in the cemetery? The dude's messed in the head."

"He's consumed by the hunt," Sam said, taking a sip out of Dean's water. "That can make people crazy, Dean."

"No, not just that." Dean frowned, then took a bite of his sandwich. "Mm. This is really good."

Holly raised an eyebrow at him, but she felt satisfied as well. It was such an odd feeling, this bond. It was going to take a while to get used to it.

"Wait a minute," Holly said, struck by a thought. "Didn't he say…last night…something about my parent's friends being 'fresh meat'?"

"Yeah," Sam said, gazing around the room. "He did say something along those lines."

Holly let her mind wander for a moment. "Unless he purposely targeted them, then he must have had some kind of important reason for…killing…"

There was the sound of Dean's chewing for just a moment, and then Sam spoke.

"You don't think he…could be…" his eyes rolled to his brother. "Dean, you don't think we could have a cannibalistic vampire on our hands, could we?"

"Hah!" Dean laughed; his mouth wide open. "That's insane, Sam."

Sam raised his eyebrows at his brother. "You said it yourself Dean- this isn't an ordinary vampire we're dealing with here. Sure, it's a nasty, bloodsucking creature, but it's stronger, smarter, and more threatening than anything we've ever encountered before."

What Sam was saying was making the hair on the back of Holly's neck stand up. She kept her fingers on her charm. It was unheard of to her, that a vampire would kill others of its own kind.

Dean furrowed his brow. "You think Bobby will know something about this?"

"I'll call him," Sam said, reaching into his pocket for his phone.

Holly felt a little light-headed; she reached for her forehead, closing her eyes.

"Sam, I don't think Holly is taking this too well." Dean asked, and she knew he felt her nervousness.

"No, it's just, ah…." Holly said softly, disgusted by the thought of a vampire that hunted other vampires. It meant one thing: her parents had been keeping secrets from her. Their best friends may have been vampires? She felt sick.

"Excuse me for a second," she said, and took off from the table, heading towards the back washrooms. Sam called after her, but she hoped he wouldn't follow her. Besides, she was entering a woman's washroom. That would upset some customers.

She pushed open the heavy wooden door, grunting. Her arms felt a bit weak. Her head down, she placed her hands on one of the sinks, panting. She sensed no one else in the room, which was good. She couldn't afford any awkward explanations.

Holly twisted the tap for the cold water, and splashed some on her face. She cleared her mind, trying not to think about anything.

Vampires, blood, death, her parents, the Hunters, it gave her an extreme headache, on top of the one she already had.

Not to mention she had this feeling under her skin; something she couldn't shake. Her parents may have been friends with vampires. She didn't know what to think.

Something hit her as she turned off the tap, her eyes on the water draining into the pipe. She felt like she was watching her life drain into that black abyss, her sanity slipping away with the rest. It was then she smelled it, or rather, felt it- the stench of death and blood, the dark mass she had felt the night Dean was shot.

The vampire had been here.

Lifting her head slowly, Holly felt the blood pounding in her ears. Her heart stopped as her eyes landed on the mirror farther down the wall. Something red was dripping off of the reflective surface.

Her mind blanked.

Stepping closer, her legs seemed to start wobbling. The words on the mirror became clear, as the scent filled Holly's nose and made her gag.

_ALL MINE._

Holly lifted a hand to her throat, again. Her fingers trembled. A scream bubbled to her throat, and she backed up against a stall, her reflection one of white terror. The words were painted in blood, smeared crudely in capital letters. She slid her gaze to the stall next to her, which was closed slightly. What if he was still here?

She tore for the door, but before she reached the handle, it busted open, and Dean entered. "Holly!"

She ran past him, and he grabbed her arm, pulling her out of the exit. People in the store were alarmed; she heard their voices before Dean shut the door behind her. They were standing in an alleyway, which was abandoned except for a few garbage cans.

"Sam," she said, but Dean interrupted her. "Sam's talking to the store manager. Someone else found the blood as well."

Holly leaned against the wall, breathing hard. Dean's hand was still on her shoulder, and she felt calm at his touch. His energy was flowing into her, relaxing; soothing. Dean looked around the parking lot, his hand on his gun.

"We saw him. He passed by the front window," Dean said. "He must have snuck in after seeing us enter the store. And then I heard you scream, and-"

Holly looked at him, still a bit breathless. "But I didn't scream."

"You were thinking about it," Dean said, removing his hand from her shoulder. She felt the connection cut off, and it was almost painful, like a small pinch. She sighed. "Ouch."

Dean stared at his hand, shaking it. "Yeah."

Holly shook her head. "So he was here. I guess we're not safe anywhere." Her heart was still beating fast, no longer calmed by Dean's touch. Sweat was beading on her forehead; she wiped it off.

"Listen to me- Sam's gonna meet us back at your apartment. We've got to get out of here, especially since it's going to be dark soon. You alright?" Those words sounded odd from Dean's mouth, seeing as Holly didn't get the impression from him that he was the concerned, cuddly type, but she saw seriousness in his green eyes.

"Yeah, I'm alright," she breathed. "Other than the fact that I'm being hunted by a psychotic vampire and my parents might have been secretly hiding the fact that they were friends with vampires, sure." She dusted off her arms, which were covered with dirt from the brick she was leaning against.

Dean gestured with his head. "You're apartments this way, right?"

She pushed off the wall, following him, as they turned the corner to the busy street. She couldn't see the dark figure anywhere, and she couldn't feel him. There was a slight trace of it that lingered on the steps of the sandwich shop. Holly swallowed, stepping as far away as she could from it.

Dean paused to look in the window. Holly could see Sam trying to reason with the manager, and the shop had cleared out. There were a few customers sticking around to see the cops arrive.

"What if he comes back and attacks Sam?" Holly hissed as Dean continued on. He turned around, frowning, or as she noticed, it was kind of a comical pout. It suited him.

"Sammy can handle himself. And besides, you're the jailbait, eh?" He raised his eyebrows, and Holly wanted to hit him again. Most of the time, she could deal with creepy older guys, but the thought of that vampire touching her made her skin crawl.

"Come on." He waved his hand, and they began walking again. Holly could hear a siren in the distance. She prayed Sam wouldn't get wrapped up in the investigation.

She fumbled to find her keys in her purse. Dean entered the parking lot, looking around to make sure they weren't being watched. If the vampire followed them to her apartment…her face whitened.

"I don't see anyone," he announced, turning to her as she pushed open the entrance. She knew that didn't make a difference. If that vampire could make its way into the bathroom without anyone noticing, the chances of the two of them seeing him stake her apartment were slim.

Holly ran up the stairs, feeling like she was running for her life, again, even though she had a Hunter right behind her and four walls surrounding her. Dean was right- it _was _getting dark out, and that would be when the vampire would grow strongest.

Her skin pricked with anxiety as she reached her floor and jammed her key into her lock. It got stuck, and she growled, shaking it violently because it wouldn't turn. "Come on," she said, growing frustrated. She did that when she was afraid.

"Hey." Dean laid his hand on hers, and Holly suddenly felt calm again. "Let me do it."

She stepped back, charged by their connection. His face seemed so beautiful in the hallway light. His eyes were jade stars.

She blinked, clearing her head.

_Awkward. _

Dean grunted and got the key to turn. Her door opened, revealing the mess of dirt and blood smeared over her floor, and the messy dining table. She couldn't have been more happy to see it.

She walked to the kitchen wall, kicking off her shoes, and leaned her head against the smooth surface. She felt exhausted, like she had run a marathon.

Dean cleared his throat and moved around the kitchen, grabbing his cell and throwing it on the table. "Sam's gonna call as soon as he gets free. I think he's making a trip to the morgue."

Holly opened her eyes, staring at the charcoal gray paint. "What?"

"That man, the first one the vamp killed?" Dean continued, making his way around the room, closing curtains. "He's going to make a visit to the body, check out if it's got a second set of teeth."

Holly shivered.

Dean returned, and walked back to the front door to make sure it was locked. "I'm going to check the rest of the rooms."

She breathed as the Hunter made his way around her house, and she found herself not caring. She actually felt…safe. Their connection made things seem better.

Holly opened her kitchen cupboard and grabbed a bottle of Aspirin. The headache had returned. She swallowed a pill down with a bottle of water, and then grabbed some herbs from a cabinet and ground them into a paste, swallowing them with water as well. Her mother would have wanted her to.

She felt calm, for the moment. As soon as Dean returned to the kitchen her heart-rate slowed. She could think clearly.

"You, uh…look like you could use a hot bath." Dean said, nodding his head at her. Holly blushed, but then looked down at her dirty hands, and knew her hair was looking a bit on the disgusting side. She knew some hot water would un-frazzle her nerves.

"Yeah." She ran a hand through her ponytail, feeling her fingers get caught in the tangles. "It wouldn't hurt."

"I'll keep watch," Dean said, sliding into one of the kitchen chairs. "There's no one else here- I checked. And you would know, wouldn't you?"

Holly looked at him, pausing at her bedroom door. "Yeah, I would."

It was true- she felt no dark presence here.

She felt Dean though; all over her house. His scent rested on her bedroom doorknob. It made her feel re-assured, a little bit.

She stepped into her bathroom, letting her hair out of her ponytail. It caught in her fingers, the snarling tangles caked with dirt. She locked the door, pulled back the shower curtain, and removed her clothing, wincing at the bruises she found on her skin. The one on her stomach was still swollen and blackened a bit. A few cuts marred her legs -the marks of a close encounter with a Supernatural creature.

Would she have jumped to save the Hunters, if she seen what the figure really was? Would she have risked her life like that if she had known the truth?

The answer was yes, Holly knew as she stepped into the shower, closing the curtain, her toes curling on the white tile. She would have done anything if it meant stopping the thing that killed her parents.

She turned the handle with her mind, and it was odd to use her powers again, like getting on a bike after not riding one for long time. It turned smoothly, letting hot water pour over her skin. It made her feel so good to cleanse herself of the blood and dirt. She could see it gather around the drain at her feet.

Holly grabbed soap and scrubbed it everywhere, then shampooed her hair a couple of times, until she felt completely clean. She relished the feeling of the hot water on her skin. She felt loose, relaxed. Her mind wandered.

Into her thoughts Dean's face wandered. She opened her eyes, stepping back a bit. It shocked her, to think of a Hunter so freely, so casually. Though they were becoming closer than the enemies she had made them out to be, she still wasn't completely comfortable with the thought of this attraction she had to these men.

Holly finished rinsing off and closed off the water, stepping out of the shower and grabbing a towel. She dried off, toweling her sopping hair, which hung in black tangles down her back. She looked at herself in the mirror, which was fogging up.

She felt a little better, but she still couldn't shake that horrible feeling under her skin.

Holly picked up her bathrobe off of a hook on the back side of the door, and wrapped it around herself, liking the way the soft fabric felt against her naked skin. She felt flushed.

She stepped out of the door, entering her bedroom, and letting the steam out. She felt like putting on sweat pants and crawling in to bed to watch some reality TV. She needed to escape her life for a while.

She put on black pants and sweat shirt instead, and wrapped her hair in a ponytail, sliding a thick red band over her head to hold it back. She put on a fresh bandage on her stomach.

Holly checked her digital bedside clock. It was five o'clock.

Shouldn't Sam be back?

She opened her door, seeing Dean flipping through that journal, still at her kitchen table. He looked quite concerned, she noticed, and he lifted his head as she stepped onto the tiled floor, her bare feet leaving damp footprints.

"Better?"

"Definitely." Holly glanced at her door. "Sam's not back yet?"

"He hasn't called, either. I wonder what's going on," Dean said, placing a hand on the gun which he had placed on the table next to the journal. "He would have called if he was in trouble, though."

"Do you mind if I ask you a question?" Holly asked softly, sliding into a chair across from him. Dean looked at her, and she noticed a little late shadow creeping upon his chin.

"Shoot."

"Why do you hate witches so much?" she felt the words just tumble out of her mouth. She had been dying to ask since she met him.

He smirked a bit. "Nothing against you, personally- I mean, you're probably the best witch I've ever met."

Holly raised an eyebrow at him. "Thanks, I guess."

"Nah, it's just that my personal encounters with witches haven't been that great." He leaned forward, folding his hands. "To me, they've pretty much been all stuck up spell-chanting demon worshipping bitches."

"Well, as I remember, this spell chanter saved your ass last night," Holly muttered at him, leaning forward as well.

"Yes, and thank you, but last time I checked, we're still in a spot of trouble," Dean said. "I'm not used to being so….drawn…to someone." He pronounced "drawn" like a foreign word.

Holly swallowed. "Neither am I. But get over it. I'm hunting this vampire with you, not matter what."

"And after we're done?" Their faces were only a foot apart now, and Holly saw the glint in his eyes.

"Then we'll just have to figure that out, won't we?" she was toying with him, she knew. Inside that mind of his, Dean just couldn't resist women. It was his weakness.

A moment passed, and Holly swore Dean was leaning in just a bit closer.

Something rushed through her veins, and her heart beat a little faster. The bond was urging her to move closer, to shove her lips on his, and let the life flow through them both.

Her mind was saying _this is wrong, _but her emotions were pushing her on.

Dean's eyes moved downwards to her mouth.

The air felt thick.

Just a few inches…

She heard banging on the door. "Guys? Let me in."

Holly drew back, clearing her throat. Dean jumped to the door.

The feeling was gone.

Obviously, so was her common sense.

Dean let Sam in the door, then shut it and immediately locked it again.

Holly still sat at the table, trying to calm herself.

"Alright," Sam said, walking into the kitchen, folding his arms. "I took a look at the first murder victim's body. There was definitely a second set of teeth, and they were pointy and sharp." He and his brother shared a look.

Holly tried to avoid looking at Dean.

"Looks like we got ourselves a cannibalistic vampire," Dean said, leaning on the counter. "Perfect. If he's feeding on the blood of his own kind, is that why he's so royally effed up?"

"It must make him stronger, in some way. Enhance his abilities, makes him more aggressive and able to trail Holly like that. There's definitely something twisted inside his mind."

Holly nodded, grasping her necklace again. "I can feel it, every time he's near. There's something evil inside him."

"How can you feel it?" Sam asked, leaning down and sitting on the edge of the table.

"I have an ability," Holly whispered, spilling yet another one of her secrets. "I can feel people, like track them by their auras. It's weird, I know," she said, avoiding their gazes as they were looking at her like she had sprouted another head. "And believe me, it's not common among witches. Just another reason why I'm an outcast, I guess." She turned her head to avoid their stares.

"Well…that could really come in handy," Sam said, jumping up and pacing the kitchen floor. "You know the feeling you get from this vampire, you could help us track him."

Holly thought for a moment. She hadn't really thought of it that way.

Dean made a move to say something, but Sam interrupted him. "Think about it, Dean. We have no idea where this guy stays during the day, or drags his victims back to at night. Holly could lead us to him."

"And lead herself right to him?" Dean asked, his voice low. "She would be putting herself in serious danger. You saw what the bastard did- he's obviously trying to catch her attention."

Holly found herself a little shocked by this show from Dean, and by Sam's expression, so did he.

"She's not bait, Dean. She could help us."

Holly stood up. "I want to help. I don't care if he wants me dead, and I want to stop him from killing anymore people."

Dean looked at her, his eyes hard, and she could feel something creep into her consciousness under his gaze. "Your funeral."

He stalked off, grabbing his gun and cell phone from the table. "I'm calling Bobby."

Holly and Sam just stared after him, and Sam clenched his jaw.

"It's my fault," Holly sighed, sitting back down. "I think this whole bonding thing is getting to our heads."

"Yeah." Sam's voice was so soft, she barely heard his reply. He seemed to snap out of whatever thought he was having, and turned to her again. "I'm not forcing you into anything, Holly, but you know that we do need your help."

She couldn't help but smile a little. "That's becoming a bit of a trend, now, isn't it?"

Sam just laughed slightly. "Yeah. I think that's becoming a huge blow to Dean's ego. If he could only get over it, then we could get started and find this thing."

"Before it finds me?" Holly asked, and in her agitation, the journal's pages flipped over a few times as it lay open on the table. A soft breeze blew on her skin.

Sam stared at the journal, his wide brow furrowing.

"It's a witch thing," she said, swallowing. "Just to add a little more freak-show to this wack-job of a day."

She was getting tired; she could feel it in her bones. She needed a good long nap, but instead her sarcastic side was rearing its ugly head.

Sam grabbed the journal, closing it. "I know how you feel," he said, looking up at her, or rather down, as she was sitting and he was towering over her.

Holly cocked her head. "How?" she couldn't possibly understand how a Hunter could relate to how she felt.

"I know what it's like to be the outcast," he said, flipping the journal around in his hands. "I know what it's like to be something that sets you apart."

Holly reached into her powers and probed with her mind, searching for the truth. She felt recognition and sincerity in his thoughts. What had he been a part of?

She just nodded, feeling that sensation creeping under her skin again.

Dean re-entered the room; she could feel his irritated presence behind her.

He flipped down his phone. "Bobby says to be careful, and he's going to look into the vampire history of Savannah for the past couple hundred years. He doesn't really know what to expect, either."

"Well, we know one thing- this guy's gonna make another kill, soon, if he doesn't get what he wants." Sam grabbed some things from the table, stuffing them in his pockets.

"Sam, it's getting dark!" Dean exclaimed, grabbing his brother's shoulder. "We don't know what to expect out there. This guy's a maniac. We need to sit down and think about this."

Holly felt nervous being so near to him; she shuffled away a bit. He was like a ticking time-bomb.

"So stay here, then, while I go find this thing," Sam growled, turning to face his brother. Holly didn't like the feeling of tension between the two that was occurring. "But I'm going, whether you want try to stop me or not."

"I'm going with you," Holly said, grabbing her jacket and throwing it on. She felt Dean's emotions flare.

"You really want to put yourself in danger, Holly?"

_What was going on with him?_

"Yeah, I do," she said, stepping up to face him. Dean's nostrils flared. "I do if it means stopping the thing that spilling innocent blood in my town. I'm trying to help you, Dean. Don't let this stupid bond thing get in the way." Without thinking, she placed her hands on both of his shoulders, trying to calm him. It worked; his breathing slowed, and she felt his stubbornness give away. Sam darted his eyes back and forth between Holly and Dean, bewildered.

"Please, I don't want anyone else killed because of me." Holly couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth. Her hands slowly slipped off of his shoulders, and she stepped back. Dean's eyes followed her, and his mouth was set in a firm line.

There was a moment of silence.

"Well then," Sam said, stepping between them. "That was weird. Are we going, Holly?"

Holly moved her gaze to him. "Hell yeah, we are."

She moved to the door, peeking out of the small looking hole, and saw no one in the hallway. Sam was at her shoulder.

Dean sighed and shoved a long knife under his jacket. "Can't have you two going and dying on me, now can I?"

Holly opened the door and he stepped through it, looking around, and took off down the hallway.

He seemed to be back to himself.

"Come on." Sam put his hand on the small of her back and they walked down the dimly lit hallway, their feet not making any noise on the padded carpet. Holly felt tingles where his hand was. There was no connection, but it still made her feel different inside.

She liked the idea of having a protector.

_You are a respectable, independent witch, _she scolded herself. _You don't need Hunters to protect you._

But even after Sam lifted his hand, Holly felt breathless. It was as if she didn't feel the constant attraction to his brother at all.

She looked away, stepping down the stairs, dropping behind Sam a bit.

Her emotions were a wreck.

Outside, she knew, Dean was probably feeling the same thing.

Sam opened the front door, peeking his head out and looking around. Night was falling over Savannah, and the trees were turning black. Shadows moved around the parking lot. The headlights of cars were like bright beams to her eyes.

She used to love the night; now, it made her feel afraid.

Dean was waiting by the Impala, and she followed Sam into the parking lot.

"Feel anything?" he asked, opening the door for her.

She shook her head. "I got nothing." She slid into the backseat, which was stained a bit with Dean's blood from last night. Holly tried not to look at it.

The two brothers got into car, Dean at the wheel. "Oh, baby, I thought I'd never drive you again," he said, rubbing the steering wheel. Sam turned to look at Holly.

"If this guy is tracking down people with connections to you, do you have any idea where we should start searching?"

"The bar we were at last night," Holly said, her mouth dry. She knew damn well where this vampire would strike next. Dean started the car.

_Oh, please, Goddess, don't let us be too late. _

She curled her hands in her lap. Sam turned back to the dashboard as Dean pulled out of the parking lot.

"The bartender," he said, not asking a question.

Holly nodded, her eyes shifting out the window. Shops passed by her gaze, and she saw the cemetery in the distance. Out there lay the blood of a boy who didn't deserve to die.

The radio clicked on, blasting "Back in Black."

Holly squeezed her eyes shut, and it turned off. Dean looked at her in the rearview mirror. "What the hell was that?"

"Nothing," she murmured. Her emotions were getting the best of her.

A few more minutes passed, and the neon sign flashed into her vision.

Holly gulped, hoping she wouldn't feel the vampire's presence here.

She couldn't show fear; she had to appear strong. She had to fight this thing.

Dean pulled into the far corner of the lot, turning off the car. Sam turned to her again, as Dean cleaned off his knife. "Whatever happens in here, I want you to stay close. If we see that vampire, you're not leaving our sight. And here," he tossed a slender dagger to her. "It won't help much, but it will stop him if you need to fight."

"How exactly can he be stopped?" Holly asked, anxious to get out of the car, but needing to know. She tucked the blade into her pocket.

"The way to kill a vampire is to cut off their heads," Dean answered, but he held up a needle, filled with a red substance. "This will knock it out, though. Dead man's blood."

"Oh." The thought of actually having to cut off a head, vampire or not, made her feel a little sick, but she replaced that thought with one of determination. She had to kill this thing.

Dean seemed to know what she was thinking. "Don't worry, you lead us to it, and we'll do all the dirty work," he said, stepping out of the car and pushing back the seat so she could get out. "Promise me you won't get all heroic on us again."

Sam stepped out the other side and slammed the door shut. "Dean, don't patronize her."

Holly glanced between the two brothers, feeling like she was trapped in a cage. The constant bickering was bothering her. "Let's just do this, okay?"

She took off, under the bright lights of the parking lot. Flashbacks of last night caught up to her as she walked. She remembered running for her life, the feeling of helplessness as she watched Dean's life fade away in the back seat. She remembered kissing him.

Heat crept up her cheeks.

The bar seemed normal from the outside. Holly could see the regulars on their barstools, laughing and talking, through the window. It made her feel sad.

She couldn't hear any screams.

Dean and Sam caught up to her, and Sam held out his hand as she made a move to open the doors. "Wait. We don't know if he could be in here."

"I can't feel him," she protested, but Dean opened the door, walking in. She felt the warmth creep out and the voices filled her ears. She couldn't catch the scent.

Sam followed, and Holly turned around, examining the lot. She didn't see anything.

There was a rustle in the bushes. She shivered.

But once again, she couldn't feel anything there.

She stepped inside, closing the door. Dean was already at the bar, chatting with one of the other bartenders. Sam was waiting for her to come inside.

"What did you see?" he asked, as if he could tell.

"There was movement at the perimeter," she said, staying close to his side. "I couldn't feel anything, though."

"Maybe it was just a squirrel, or a bird or something." he said, wandering over to the bar.

_A tiny bird. _

She froze, grabbing his arm. She tried to keep her voice low, but her heart was racing.

"He's here," she hissed. "Last night, I heard the same rustle around the same area, and I thought the same thing- that it was just a bird. I was wrong. You guys had taken off after it."

Dean turned around. "Stay close," he said, his voice low as well. "Perky over here said Randy's on a smoke break."

Holly's heart rose to her chest. "Out the side door!"

They walked through the midst of tables, people talking and laughing around them. Holly could smell French fries, and her stomach rumbled, but she ignored it. The fear overcame her hunger.

Randy's life was at stake.

Dean paused at the door, looking around. He grasped the handle, and pulled it slowly open.

Holly could only see the black of the forest, and a small patch of cement illuminated by an outdoor light. Sam led her outside, and Dean quietly shut the door.

She could only hear crickets, and the beating of her heart.

"I'll go this way," Sam motioned, pulling his gun out of his pocket. "Dean, you take Holly that way."

He took off to where she had heard the rustling.

Holly shivered, fingering the knife in her jacket pocket. Dean gestured, leading her away from the clearing, towards the forest. "Sense anything?"

She shook her head. "No. Where's Randy?" her fingers trembled. Something was wrong.

A branch snapped from behind them.

Holly whipped around, and Dean whipped his gun out, pointing it to the darkness. There was nothing there.

Something floated into Holly's mind; it felt like blood and death. It just brushed her consciousness. The hair on the back of her neck prickled.

"He's here," she whispered, placing her back against Dean's. "I can feel him."

Their connection made her feel strong, and Holly felt like she could take on the world. She curled her lip at the darkness. _Come and get me._

There was a whoosh of wind; and then the sound of someone sprinting through the forest. Leaves and branches cracked, outside of their vision. Holly pulled out her knife.

"He's running the opposite way!" she exclaimed, taking off after him.

"Holly, wait!" Dean cried, entering the forest after her.

Holly could smell him now, leaving a trail of dark spirit she could follow. It overwhelmed her; she could also smell fresh blood. Someone was wounded.

She raised a hand to ward off branches whipping in her face; she was losing her sense of direction. Somewhere behind her, Dean was making his way through the forest. Holly stepped forward.

Suddenly, the presence vanished.

"Dean?" she called, whipping around. "He's gone."

Now they were stuck in the darkness, like they were lead into a trap.

"Damnit, Holly!" he said, reaching her. Holly didn't know if he found her on his own or if he could feel her through their bond. She couldn't feel anything else.

The blackness enveloped them.

"We need to keep moving," he said. "He's going to come back."

She suddenly felt it again, up ahead.

"It's back!" she stepped forward, tripping slightly over a log. She kept the knife in her hand. Her ears were buzzing.

The clearing was up ahead, and she couldn't feel Sam anywhere.

Dean grabbed her jacket, yanking her back. "What are you doing?" he growled. "He's obviously leading us here, and you want to walk right into his trap?"

Holly stared at him, breathing heavily. His green eyes glinted in the moonlight, which was enveloping the sky.

She heard a scream. They both turned their heads.

It was the anguished yell of a man in pain. Her heart pounded. "Randy!"

Dean was the one that took off first, stepping into the clearing. Holly tried to see where the sound was coming from, but she couldn't feel anything. She could only feel Dean.

The scream came again.

Another figure was bursting through the bushes. It was Sam. He was running towards the centre of the field, and he didn't appear to see Dean or Holly.

"Oh my god," she whispered, her eyes focusing farther down the field. She could see two more people down the field. One was on his knees.

Randy.

She took off sprinting, not caring if she was seen by the vampire. Dean dropped behind.

Sam had disappeared; she couldn't see him running anymore.

"Holly."

She stopped in her tracks, ten feet away from where he was standing. Blood was dripping from his mouth, and his eyes were red. A knife was at Randy's throat but already she could see the chunk out of his arm. Randy's eyes were closed and he was trembling.

Holly shook with anger, and she hid the knife behind her back.

The man threw his head back and laughed. It was the same laugh that had chilled her the night before. It proposed death.

"So nice to see you again, my dear."

Holly clenched her jaw, her nostrils flaring. She couldn't feel Dean, or Sam. She was alone, with a blood-thirsty vampire just feet away from her.

"Get away from him," she said, gesturing to Randy. "And put the knife down." Her voice was shaking, and her knees were weak. Her blood was pumping through her veins at a million miles an hour.

The vampire smirked, and Holly could feel him now, all the darkness and death swirling around him. It burned her senses. "You really think I'm going to listen to you, little girl?" he asked. "I've spent five years waiting for this night. Finally, I'm going to get my top prize."

He grinned, showing his blood-covered fangs. He tossed his knife into the field, and it made a small clang as it hit the ground. "I won't need this."

Leaning down, he rubbed his hands over Randy's head, breathing in deeply. Randy whimpered, and Holly's eyes stung with tears. "Stop, please," she said. "You've got what you wanted. Let him go."

The vampire looked up at her, his red eyes flashing. His hands snapped Randy's neck, and the larger man dropped to the ground, his eyes lifeless.

Holly choked on a sob, reaching towards Randy. "No!" She knelt on the ground, shaking Randy's shoulders. The vampire laughed harshly.

"Such a waste. His blood tasted quite good," he said, licking his lips, standing above her. "But yours will taste so much better."

Holly felt cold hands on her shoulders, and she was yanked up on her feet, and she was staring into his red eyes. She struggled under his clutch.

He had iron fists. She wasn't going anywhere.

The vampire breathed into her face, and she felt sick to her stomach. Some of his teeth were black. "The name's Vail, by the way. Just so you can stop calling me 'vampire.'" Let's not label each other, ok? I never call you 'witch.'" One of his hands slid down her arms, leaving a trail of blood. Holly trembled, trying to twist her head. "Let go of me."

"You want to try and fight me?" Vail laughed that deep, chilling laugh again. "Good luck, princess. Your witchcraft won't work on me. I'm too strong for that."

"You're disgusting," she spat. "You kill your own kind."

"That was just a nasty habit, my dear, which turned into a necessity. If I must keep up this strength, then I need to keep feeding on the blood of something more than humans," Vail answered, nicking her skin and Holly could feel the hot liquid run down her arm. It stung.

"You killed my parents." Holly tried to kick him in the stomach, but he grabbed her leg.

"They got in the way," he said, growling in her face as she tried to struggle out of his grasp. "They were planning to kill me, so I killed them."

Holly still had the knife in her hand, but her wrists were being held tightly together.

_Where were Sam and Dean?_

Vail breathed in deeply, like he was inhaling her scent. "You smell so delicious." He bore his fangs.

Holly whimpered, her heart pounding in her ears. She would not become a delicacy to some disgusting blood-sucker.

Vail dipped his head, as if to kiss her throat. His black hair shone, as if it were covered with blood as well. Holly tried to strain her fingers to reach the knife…

There was a loud _bang, _and suddenly Vail released her from his grip. Holly fell backwards to the ground, grabbing the dagger and holding it out in front of her. Vail whipped around and took off, snarling.

Sam stepped out from the forest, holding a smoking gun.

"Holly!" Dean came from behind her, lifting her up to her feet. Sam ran after Vail, but there was nothing there. Holly couldn't feel him.

"Holly, stay with me," Dean said, turning her head to face him, patting her cheek. She felt faint, and her eyes fluttered.

"I'm okay," she said weakly, putting both feet firmly on the ground, feeling stronger underneath Dean's touch. She touched her head, and then dropped it to her side. She stared at the spot where Vail had taken off. "He's gone."

"We almost had the sonofabitch, too." Dean growled, turning to her. "Why did you have to take off like that?"

"I…" Holly's voice drifted off as her eyes landed on Randy's lifeless body. Emotion swelled in her chest. He hadn't deserved to die.

"Randy," she whispered. "I'm sorry."

Sam returned. "He's gone, but we've got to get out of here. Holly," he turned to her. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she croaked, lifting her fingers to her charm. It felt cold.

_He'sdeadhe'sdeadhe'sdeadhe'sdeadhe'sdeadhe'sdead._

Holly's face drained of all color. Dean glanced to Sam. "She's not okay. We've to get her back to the car."

Holly let herself be lead away by Dean's iron grip, watching Randy's body grow smaller and smaller, as Sam stood there, watching forlornly, grabbing his phone from his pocket.

"Call 911," she whispered, wiping her cheeks. She was beyond controlling her emotions. Dean glanced at her. "Holly, hold it together."

She shook her head. "I'm alright…alright."

She stumbled in a pothole, and her legs gave out. The gash on her arm stung.

"Alright, doll face," Dean grumbled, and lifted her up. Holly's breath gave out as he shifted her in his arms. She wasn't necessarily on the heavy side, but she wasn't the smallest girl in the world, either. "Put me down," she said, wincing. Her wound was being pressed against his hard chest.

"No." His voice gave the impression he shouldn't be messed with.

There was the sound of footsteps behind them as they entered the forest. Dean whipped his head around, but Holly whispered, "It's Sam."

The taller Hunter caught up to them, his gun still out of his jacket pocket.

"Holly-"

"She's fine," Dean interrupted, making his way around a fallen tree. It was so dark that Holly could barely see through her half-closed eyes. Her heart rate was slowing. "She just was stumbling around like she was half wasted, that's why."

All she saw was Randy's neck snapping in her vision.

_Blood dripping down a man's chin…_

She faded off a bit, even though she was in Dean's arms and their connection was flowing through her. It soothed her mind, but did nothing to ease the pain she held in her heart.

Without knowing it, she slid her hand down Dean's chest, turning her face into his neck. He smelled like something familiar, but she couldn't quite place the name.

Dean cleared his throat, but Holly just tried to relax. Her mind was working at a million miles an hour. It felt so good to be so close to him.

_Nails sinking into her skin. _

She felt light on her face, and knew they were back in the parking lot. She could hear distant voices.

"I called 911 and left an anonymous message," Sam said, hurrying to the Impala and opening the door. "Here, Dean, I got her."

"What!" Holly jerked and her feet touched the ground. She felt like she was waking up.

_The snap of bones._

"Randy," she breathed, catching her breath. She was drifting in and out of whiteness.

"Holly, get in the car," Sam ordered, gently shoving her in the car. "Dean, she's going into shock."

"Let's get her home." Dean got into the driver's seat. A breeze drifted over Holly's face, even though she was in an enclosed area. She swayed from left to white.

Dean whipped the car out of the parking lot, and held her head in her hands.

Her hair fluttered around her face.

"Holly?" Sam grabbed her hands. "Holly, look at me."

Breathless, she looked up at him. "It's my fault." Her voice croaked.

"No, Holly, listen to me, it's not your fault. Okay? We're going to get you home, and you're going to be safe there. He won't get you." Sam pressed her palms together. "Okay? Hold on, Holly, we're almost there."

Red lights drifted by the window. Was that rain?

Holly gulped, trying to steady her breathing.

She stared out the window.

_No, it wasn't raining. _

Sam still held on to her hands. She shivered.

"Damnit!" Dean hit the steering wheel, and she was hit by a wall of anger. She blinked.

The radio turned on again.

_Shit. _

It turned off.

"Holly, look at me."

She turned her head, stared into those welcoming eyes.

"Sam, we almost had him."

"Dean, she's just a girl."

_Just a girl._

Next thing she knew, she was being hauled up the staircase, and there was the jingling of keys. A door opened. She was stepping out of her shoes.

_Blood pounding in her ears. The man grabbed his neck-_

Holly raced to the sink and dry heaved. Nothing came out. She felt sick to her stomach.

Trembling, she turned and ran straight into Dean. Or was it Sam? Her vision was blurring.

_ I saw him die. _

"Come on."

Bed. She saw her bed. Someone had removed her jacket; the air was cold on her bare skin. Her hair was falling out of her ponytail, again. There was a sting and then warmth on her cut, and Holly felt the warm covers as she collapsed into her soft, safe haven.

The door closed. She felt the darkness.

There was the weight of someone next to her. A hand rested on her shoulder.

_Sleep. _

She heard the sirens in her dreams.


	5. Chapter 5

_The night was long.__  
__It was filled with the sounds of Holly's heavy breathing; she sighed, twitched and groaned under Dean's hand, which he had laid on her arm to help her fall asleep.__  
__He had always done his part when it came to saving people, but he couldn't explain why he couldn't shake a deeper feeling around Holly, other than the bond they shared. He guessed it was because she had saved his life, and now he was helping her as best he could.__  
__His body was close to hers, and his hand stroked her arm. It lingered over the bandage he had placed on her bleeding gash. He lifted it up a bit. It was turning black, almost, and the skin around it was red and puffy.__  
__"Sam?" he whispered loudly. "Come here."__  
__His brother appeared in the doorway. "Is Holly okay?"__  
__Dean could see that look in Sam's gaze. He ignored it.__  
__He sat up, leaning against Holly's headboard. "No, look at her arm. It looks infected." He looked up at Sam. "You think he could have injected something into her?"__  
__Sam bent closer, breathing softly. "It could explain why she passed out so quickly last night."__  
__"Yeah, she was out of it," Dean said, and looked at Holly's face. Her long eye-lashes fluttered, but her face was at peace.__  
__All he could think about was how soft her skin was.__  
__"I'd clean it up now, but I don't want to risk waking her," Sam said, collapsing tiredly on Holly's desk chair.__  
__"What if she doesn't wake up?" Dean found himself asking, a feeling of intense worry coming over him.__  
__"Dean, she's fine. Look at her. She's tough, and even if things go wrong you'll be there to give her strength." Sam scratched his nose, and yawned. "I'm ridiculously tired. Mind if I crash?"__  
__"No, yeah, go ahead," Dean murmured, leaning his head back."You're doing the food run in the morning, though. I don't even want Holly going outside."__  
__"Dean, she'll have to, she's our only chance at finding this thing. He'll only make himself seen when Holly is in his vision."__  
__There it was again, that tiny tugging inside of his chest. It was such an alien feeling to Dean, and he hated it. He scratched that area, but it still wasn't going away. He grumbled.__  
__Sam took a last look at Holly's sleeping face, and Dean caught a glimpse of that look again, the one that he always got when they worked a case with a girl. __**That**____**I'll take care of you**__look.__  
__Sam stepped out of the room, closing the door softly.__  
__Dean wanted to get up and stretch, but he couldn't leave. Holly twitched in her sleep again.__  
__"Vail..." she murmured, twisting her head, her breathing growing heavier. "Dont..."__  
__She stopped, and the room was silent.__  
__Dean folded his arms over his chest, staring at the ceiling. This witch could draw. There were many random sketches posted all over the wall, mostly black and white. He could see one by her door, one with two figures walking in the distance- one taller than the other.__  
__Was that Sammy and me?__  
__Witches were weird that way; they always kept secrets, even if they spilled others.__  
__She must have known they were coming, and that's why she had been so terrified of them.__  
__Dean rolled over, facing her back. He couldn't help but roll his eyes down her slender body, but he noticed the padding of bandages under her shirt. There was another huge gash there, he knew. She was being bruised and broken.__  
__Welcome to the world of Hunting.__  
__Holly shuddered again and one of her sketches flew off of the wall, dropping to the floor. It slid into Dean's vision, and he sat up to get a better look at it.__  
__It was a very well-done sketch of him; right down to the color of his eyes. It creeped him out a bit. He looked from the drawing to Holly's face, which was frowning, her thick brows furrowing. A painful look crossed her face.__  
__Another picture flew to the floor. It was one of Sam. The two drawings lay next to each other, and it was as if Dean were staring into a mirror.__  
__He felt the urge to get off the bed.__  
__His feet touched the floor, and immediately he felt cold without Holly next to him. He shivered; this feeling was getting to him. Girls, cars, and killing things- his life had been relatively simple before encountering this witch. She was slowly driving him insane.__  
__Dean was afraid of what would happen if he didn't control himself.__  
__This bonding thing didn't help much, either. He had to constantly be near her, and she was like the forbidden fruit he couldn't pick. Normally, he didn't have any trouble getting the girls. But Holly…she was different. She couldn't be messed around with.__  
__Besides, if anybody should be the white knight in this shit-hole of a mess, it should be Sam. Dean saw how those two looked at each other. Holly trusted Sam, and she saw him in a different light. Dean had already dug himself a big hole with this girl; he had spent most of his time making fun of her. She was a witch, but he was beginning to get past that fact.__  
__As a matter of fact, she wasn't a witch to him anymore; she was just a girl, a girl that was in terrible danger and they had to save her.__  
__I need an intervention. This cannot happen.__  
__Him and Sam could save her, and get the hell out of town. Just focus on that bloodthirsty vampire, and try to forget the Bond.__  
__He looked back at Holly's sleeping figure, and saw she was sleeping peacefully again.__  
__Dean picked up the two pictures, and set them on her desk.__  
__He shut the door quietly behind him, ignoring the pull to walk back._

Holly opened her eyes, from dreams of green stars and bloody footprints. Her mind was clouded; she raised a hand in front of her face. It was blurry.  
Panic gripped her heart, and she tried to sit up, but her head was whirling. Her blood felt thick in her veins. She tried to calm herself.  
She felt as if she had been drugged.  
Blinking, Holly breathed in and out, in and out. The room slowly came into focus.  
There were dried tears on her face, and she noticed pictures were missing from her walls, leaving black squares randomly showing in the dim morning light. Holly touched her face, and it felt sore. Her neck ached.  
Slowly rising up on her pillow, she remembered what she had seen the night before. Both Francis' and Randy's face filled her mind. She put her face in her hands.  
_It's my entire fault._  
She should just be glad to be alive. Somewhere out there, Vail was waiting for the chance to kill her again.  
Holly lifted her head, noticing her door was closed and no one else was in her room. She felt Dean, though. She tasted him on her bed; felt him on her covers. It had been him who had lain next to her as she slept, and she touched her arm. She could still feel his fingers.  
She ached to see him again, as if it were her dying wish. Blushing, she bit her lip.  
_Stupid girl._  
He was not worth the pain- no Hunter was, and no witch should be stupid enough to get involved with one.  
Still, her heart beat faster whenever she felt just his presence. Her heart was torn two ways. She was attracted to Sam on an emotional and intellectual level, but physically, she was so drawn to Dean that it hurt.  
Her fingers brushed over a bandage, and the area felt numb. She peeled it back. There was a giant black hole on the back of her arm, making her muscle swell. It was red and puffy surrounding the area. Her head swam.  
Vail had cut her there last night. Was it infected?  
Or worse, had he injected her with something? She swallowed dryly, and wanted water.  
She heard footsteps, and the door creaked open. Holly saw a shock of cropped brown hair.  
"Get dressed, in the living room, talk plans, quickly?" The door closed again.  
Dean's words came out in a jumble, and Holly immediately felt a wall go up between them. He was hiding something, and his voice had been hard.  
She didn't get it-hadn't he come onto her just the day before?  
_Stupid fucking girl._  
She needed to stop thinking about things. She needed to drop _everything_in order to stop this vampire, because that was all that mattered.  
Holly groaned as she swung her legs out of bed, and she realized it was the second time that she had woken up in clothes from the night before. She felt like vomiting, as her stomach was doing flip-flops. What had Vail put into her?  
The thought of being unconscious around that creepy bloodsucking killer made her skin itch. What if Sam and Dean had been too late?  
She changed underclothes, and put on a fresh black t-shirt and grabbed a denim jacket. From the gloomy light drifting in from behind her shades, it must have been cloudy outside.  
_Shitty weather to match a shitty day._  
Holly hesitated as she turned the doorknob with her hand, ready to leave her room, but wanting to stay. She could feel Dean on the cool metal, and it sent tingles up her skin.  
Was their bond growing stronger day by day?  
She turned to gaze at the pictures on her floor. The sketches of Dean and Sam were laying side by side, both perfect replicas. She shuddered. It was a sign.  
She had to either choose, or leave them the hell alone.  
As she thought about this, a breeze drifted by her face and another picture fluttered to the ground. It fell right on top of the Hunter's faces. It was the one she had drawn of Sam and Dean walking in the distance.  
_Let them go._  
Holly turned, running a hand through her hair, which was again a mess of tangles, and opened the door. Sam and Dean were hunched over her kitchen table, which seemed to have transformed into their personal convention centre. Their broad shoulders were touching as they murmured quietly, lifting their heads as Holly stepped onto the tiles.  
"Holly," Sam said, his voice gentle and low, turning to face her. "Are you feeling alright?"  
Dean didn't say anything; his face was on the journal they had open on the table, next to the guns, vials and knives.  
"I'm alright, but I feel like someone slipped something into my drink," Holly explained, pulling out a chair and sitting down, exasperated. "It's my damn arm." She pulled up her sleeve, showing Sam her mark. He knelt down, and made a face.  
"It's gotten worse. I had a feeling it would get this way."  
"It's killing me," she said, rubbing it. "It's itchy but sore at the same time, and my head feels numb, like I was drugged."  
"I think you were," Sam said, digging through his duffel bag and pulling out some clean bandages and a bottle. "I wanted to clean it last night but I didn't want to risk waking you."  
"I slept like a rock," she announced, rubbing her eyes. "But we've got to do something soon. Assuming you're going to let me leave my house?"  
She glanced at Dean, who still wasn't saying anything.  
Sam followed her gaze, and his eyes narrowed a bit. "Dean thinks it's too risky, but you know you've got to help us, don't you?" his tone was coaxing, but Holly didn't feel pressured.  
"You know I want to help you with all I've got," she answered, letting him clean her wound and press a bandage on it. "Ow. What the hell have I got in my system?"  
"I don't know, but you might want to flush it out," Sam said. "I know you've probably got something somewhere to help with that, right?"  
"Hm." Holly glanced to her cupboard, and it flew open. She ignored the slight headache that resulted from it. A small bag wandered out, and she caught it in her hand.  
She opened the drawstring, and a comforting scent floated into her nostrils. She breathed it in, sighing.  
"Grab me a glass of water?" she asked, and Sam got it for her. Holly poured a bit of the herbs in the glass and swallowed it down. The medicine felt as refreshing as the water.  
"So," Sam said, leaning against the counter. Dean straightened up as well. "Are you feeling up to this? We shouldn't waste much time. We don't know where he's going to strike next."  
Holly ignored the sting of tears as she thought of the pain this vampire was causing. "Vail," she said to them. "He told me his name last night, like he wanted us to become chums, or something."  
"Wait a minute," Dean held up his hand, his voice booming. "You said Vail?"  
"Yeah." Holly flicked her eyes to him, placing her glass on the table. "You've heard something about him?"  
Dean stroked his chin. "Bobby said something about a Vail, yesterday. He was naming some of the vampires known for terrorizing this area. He hasn't been seen in a while, though. Crazy sonofabitch- he was known for taking down quite a few Hunters in his time." He looked at Sam. "We should talk to him again."  
"I'm on it," Sam said, flipping open his cell phone.  
Holly folded her arms, looking at the floor. Sam paced out of the room, and she could hear the dial tone fade away. Dean cleared his throat, sipping his coffee.  
She wanted to say something, but she couldn't bring herself to. She should at least try to thank him.  
"So," she began, lifting her chin. "I guess we're even, then."  
"Huh?" He stopped loading the gun he had in his hand, and placed it on the counter.  
"I save you, you save me. You don't owe me anything anymore." Holly felt odd saying it.  
"Oh. Yeah, I guess you're right."  
Holly was bursting at the seams to confess her feelings to him, but right now, he was intimidating her. His form seemed to fill her vision, big and menacing. She blinked.  
Her head cleared a little more, but she still felt like she was floating in clouds. She hoped the herbs would work soon.  
The tension grew in the kitchen; she could almost see it in the air.  
The lights flickered overhead. Dean lifted his eyes up, and they glowed a deeper green.  
"Dean," she whispered, standing up. Her hair floated slightly around her face. She couldn't control her emotions again, and her powers were affected because of it.  
Dean's face was unreadable as she stepped towards him.  
Holly wasn't herself anymore; she felt as if she was watching someone else in her body, walking towards this mysterious Hunter. Her heart was crying _yes,_ but her mind was barking _what are you doing, you stupid girl?_  
Holly felt heat creep up her cheeks. She took the coffee cup from his hands, inhaling the strong caffeinated scent. She placed it on the counter.  
Dean followed her hands, and then looked at her face.  
It was an instant spark; she saw it in his gaze.  
He couldn't resist her any more than she could resist him, and she saw it.  
This was her chance.  
Holly shivered as a tendril of dark hair curling into her vision. She raised a hand to tuck it away, but Dean beat her to it. His fingers brushed her ear, and her heart beat faster.  
His gaze was still unreadable, but she felt the heat under his skin. She was his weakness now.  
Holly felt the room grow heavily silent, and she slowly lifted her head up to his, begging for his touch. Dean's eyes moved to her lips again. She closed her eyes.  
And they were kissing, like she had never kissed anyone before. The body heat and the connection flowed between their bodies, and her lips moved over his, and they were surprisingly soft. He pulled her closer, his hands drifting down her lower back. Her hands were on his face, and she could tell he had just shaved. A soft moan escaped her lips.  
It was ecstasy; it was the best thing she had ever experienced. It was as if she was being born again; the life was flowing through her like lightning. She felt electrified.  
Holly was breathless, and Dean was kissing her deeper, and he flipped her over her back was being pressed hard into her kitchen cupboards, and a handle was pressing into her thigh, but she didn't care. She lost control again, and another breeze drifted over their faces, accompanied by the table rattling.  
If Heaven existed, she had just caught the one way train right to it. She was floating, she was soaring, the pain was gone, she was falling deeper, she was…being pushed away?  
She opened her eyes to see Dean turn away, and the connection broke. It felt like a plug had been un-corked inside of her, and emptiness was draining out. She felt hollow.  
He backed away, breathing hard.  
"Holly…" his voice was husky. Holly stared at him, her mouth open. It ached for his lips again.  
"Don't push it." His tone was steel. Holly felt the butterflies again, but they weren't good butterflies. They were the sick kind.  
"We can't do this."  
_But it felt so damn good._  
He couldn't deny it, and Holly could see it in his eyes. They were gleaming. Reasonable Hunter or not, he couldn't deny that insatiable feeling that they had just experienced.  
Holly felt as if she had been slapped in the face, but then immediately knew she deserved it. She had just draped herself over him like some desperate slut, using her wiles to draw him in. He was a fucking Hunter, for crying out loud. _Good Goddess, I really am losing my common sense,_ she thought, curling her fingers.  
"I'm sorry," she murmured, touching her lips, which were slightly swollen. "Dean, I don't know how to explain it, I just had to-"  
"Don't." He held up his hand. "Holly, you have to idea how hard it is to say this to you right now. But this. Can't. Happen." He pronounced each word separately.  
Holly clenched the countertop behind her. _Stupid, stupid, stupid girl._  
"I know." She flicked her eyes to him, and he let his hand fall.  
"Good. Now let's just…forget this whole thing ever happened. Okay? Okay." Dean shifted on his feet and Holly heard Sam shifting around in the other room. Had he heard anything?  
"Good God," Dean muttered, pacing to the table and flipping through the newspaper.  
She knew what he was feeling.  
Holly wanted to go back in time and punch herself for being so stupid.  
But it had felt…so…good.  
Her eyes watched his back, but he wouldn't turn around.  
_Dean, I'm sorry._  
_This vampire had to be caught and killed,_ she thought, leaning her head back and closing her eyes, before I go insane. _Then this whole thing will be over, and the Hunters will be out of town._  
Did she want them to leave?  
"Guys," she heard Sam's voice enter the room. "News. Bobby has the details on this Vail guy. Turns out he's been around for quite a while, snacking on other vampires that happen to make their home here. There have been random killings in Savannah for the past hundred years."  
Holly snapped her eyes open, hoping Sam didn't notice the awkward silence between her and Dean. Her heart was still beating fast, and there was sweat forming under her arms.  
She just couldn't forget a feeling like that.  
"One hundred years? He's been feeding and growing stronger for that long?" Dean turned around, folding his arms. Sam was holding a sheet of paper with a picture on it.  
"Yeah. It's like his secret for living out a long life, or something. This is Vail in the 1800's," Sam said, placing his finger on the picture. "Is this the vampire we're dealing with?"  
He brought it to Holly, and she took it, biting her lip.  
It was unmistakably him, right down to the slicked back black hair and silky grin, just a slightly younger version. Holly nodded. "That's him, alright."  
"Bobby is warning us to keep our distance," Sam continued. "Apparently this guy's pretty sick. He likes to prey on virgin girls, especially. He drugs them, and sneaks them off in the night, along with eating fellow vampires. I've never dealt with something like this before."  
Holly felt the heat creep up her cheeks again, but she didn't speak.  
Dean cocked his head, and Sam frowned at her. "What?"  
"Nothing." She glanced away. "So how are we going to deal with him? We're certainly not going to sit back and let him hurt more people?"  
"Yeah, that's what we need to decide," Sam said. "You're going to be placed in terrible danger. He doesn't seem to be showing any signs of dropping off the Hunt, which means he'll stop at nothing to get to you."  
Holly gritted her teeth, ignoring Dean's raised eyebrows. "Let's do something, then. The sooner he's dead, the better."  
Sam looked at her oddly, but turned to Dean. "You still have that dead man's blood?"  
Dean lifted it out of his pocket, and it glowed darkly against his skin.  
"Right." Sam placed the picture on the table. "Let's get down to business, then."  
Holly swallowed dryly. "Yeah."  
By the time they found a way to kill this sick bastard, that kiss should be far from her thoughts.

A half hour later, they were still stuck.  
Papers were scattered around the table, glowing dimly in the afternoon light that was filtering in through Holly's shades. Dean was on the phone with Bobby again, and she figured he was trying to distract himself.  
She was readily distracted, as she was going through options with Sam, and they were arguing hotly.  
"Just let me walk out into the open!" she snarled at him, slamming a fist on the table. Dean gave her a dirty look, and he covered the mouthpiece with his palm. "Shut up, you guys, will ya?"  
"Go away," Holly said, shaking her head at him. A soft breeze tickled her cheeks again. Her mind was fraying at the edges, and her powers were threatening to emerge. She wasn't even thinking of Dean anymore; she just wanted to get this whole thing over with.  
Dean stalked out of the room, shaking his fist in the air.  
Sam motioned with his hands, his eyes gleaming at Holly. "Look, if you did that, chaos would ensue. Who knows what he would do if you just let yourself be easy bait?"  
"You said yourself; he likes to drug people and sneak them away in the night." Holly held out her bruised arm. "Well, he tried that, and it's not night, so how else are we going to get his attention?"  
"I said he especially likes to hunt virgins, drug them, and capture them in the night, yeah," Sam said, frowning at her. Holly stared at him.  
"Uh, yeah…"  
Heat crept up her neck again, and she played with the newspaper clippings on the table. Across the kitchen, a glass threatened to tip off of the counter. Sam eyed it nervously.  
"Look," she lowered her voice. "Please don't tell Dean; it will just give him more reason to laugh at me. Yup, I'm a witch, I'm jailbait, _and_ I'm a virgin," she hissed under her breath. "So, just…let's not talk about it. Obviously I'm some kind of delicious snack to him now."  
"Yeah," Sam huffed, "you are. He's not going to stop, either, which means you can't just throw yourself into public when he could hurt other people. I'm trying to reason with you here, Holly. I'm not about to let you or other innocent people die."  
Holly raised her eyes to meet his. "You mean you actually care whether I survive this or not?"  
"Of course I do. Dean does as well. You're still human, Holly, and you're being a witch doesn't change that. We just have had…awful experiences with witches."  
She placed her head on one of her hands. "That's pretty obvious. The thing is, I'm not even in connection with my ancestors, really. My parents, they wanted me to have a normal life. And look how that turned out; my parents dead, and me being hunted by a crazy psycho vampire. You know, I had doubts that vampires even _existed_ around here until a couple of days ago."  
"And a couple of days ago, Dean never thought he would end up waking up with your blood on his lips and his heart still beating. Holly, we owe you a lot, and we're going to help you stop this thing, but we're not going to let you risk your life."  
Holly smiled grimly. "I'm going to risk everything to stop this thing, you know that."  
Dean was walking back into the room; she could feel it. His voice was on edge.  
Sam was still staring at her.  
The glass wobbled, and set itself back upright.  
"Bobby can't come down to help us; he's tied up with a case up north, but he thinks that Vail could be stopped possible if we drugged him first, then decapitated him, then burned the body. It will take a lot of work to get to that first stage, though." Dean set his phone down and picked up his gun, loading it. Next he picked up a long machete, sliding his fingers down the edge.  
Holly shivered with excitement at the thought of that steel cutting through Vail's neck. She wanted to feel him bleed, feel the life draining out of him as he lay gasping on the ground.  
_Just like my parents, you sick bastard._  
She picked up a knife and shoved it into her jacket pocket.  
"Whoa there, Indiana Jane," Dean said. "We still don't know exactly how we're gonna take on this thing."  
"You said it yourself," Holly answered, standing up. "Drug it, chop off its head, and burn it. Easy as pie."  
Sam laughed. "Really, you think it's going to be that easy? Holly, have you ever killed before?" he stood up, his face close to hers. His green eyes were serious.  
"I've never had to," she whispered darkly, folding her arms.  
Sam raised his arms, about to say something, but then he turned away. Dean looked back and forth between the two. "Am I missing something?"  
"Nothing," Holly answered sharply. "He just doesn't see that I can bring Vail out into the open if you just let me leave my apartment, and perhaps even expose my blood to the air. It's the only way he'll come. My house is heavily guarded with charms and spells."  
It was true; she had a hard time believing the vampire could fight his way in here.  
Dean paused, scratching his chin. "I don't see the problem with it, Sammy. If we somehow safely delivered her somewhere where we won't be interrupted, Vail would most likely come to her."  
Sam sighed. "I just don't like it."  
"Wait, weren't you telling me only yesterday that you needed my help?" Holly asked, frowning. _It's like they were switching sides._  
Holly could feel the confusion coursing through Sam. He was undecided about something, but she couldn't place her finger on what exactly he was feeling. "Sam, just let me help you. I trust you guys with my life now- you've already saved me once. I know this is going to sound insane, but you guys are a good team, and I'm glad I found you."  
There. The truth was out; she couldn't hide it from the brothers anymore. The fact was, that yes, she was glad that they had found her, alone and exposed in Savannah. She wouldn't have known how to deal with Vail if they hadn't come.  
Both the Hunters looked at her as if she had grown another head.  
"I never thought the day would come when I would hear that out of a witch's mouth," Dean said, smirking. Sam nodded.  
"Okay, Holly- what do you propose?"  
Holly sighed, glad they finally were going to let her reason with them.  
"Like Dean said, we find a place where we'll be sure no one else will be around, and I cut myself or something, like expose my blood to the air. If he's the hunter you say he is, he'll come. You two set a trap, and we fight. Myself included."  
"But-"  
Holly held up her hand. "I don't care if I'm putting myself in danger, okay? If there's going to be a fight, we fight together. I can handle myself. Besides, Dean will be there with me, and as much as I hate to say this," she said, shaking her head again, "I can depend on him."  
Sam nodded, his face solemn. "Alright. But you're not going to be the hero, here, okay? If things get bad, you run."  
She had to promise him to appease him. "Okay."  
"Good." Dean started packing things into his duffle bags.  
"We've got to do it quickly, because we don't know if he's targeted another subject yet or not."  
"I doubt it- I don't have many friends in this town," Holly muttered, tying up her hair in a tight ponytail. "But we can't take chances."  
Sam and Dean were ready in a few seconds; they were ready to hunt this thing.  
She breathed, taking a sip of water. She wasn't even hungry; her stomach was fluttering.  
"Holly?" Dean's voice was rough. "Stay right behind us."  
She turned around to follow them out her door.  
She didn't look back.


	6. Chapter 6

Holly felt the silence as soon as she stepped out of her building's front doors.  
It buzzed in her ears, and felt wrong, horribly wrong. There were no voices, no bugs, and no birds. Not even the distant hum of cars.  
Sam grabbed her arm, and she jumped a little. "Do you feel that?" he whispered.  
"You mean nothing?" she looked at him, fidgeting. He gazed down at her.  
"It's emptiness," he said.  
Dean broke in. "I've got a bad feeling about this," he muttered, holding out the keys to the Impala. "It's past eleven in the morning; don't people usually go out for coffee or something?"  
Holly broke away from Sam's eyes. "I don't like this," she said. "Something is definitely wrong."  
"Stay close." Sam led her to the black car, which was one of the very few in the parking lot. Holly didn't understand; she had neighbours, lots of neighbours- why hadn't she seen them at all in the past few days?  
She felt it when she slid into the backseat. The darkness, the emptiness, the hunger; it enveloped her and made her choke. "He's coming," she gasped, gripping the front seats as the brothers got in the car. "I feel it now."  
Sam gave her an alarmed look. "Dean, drive."  
Dean slammed the car into gear and wrenched the steering wheel to turn out of the parking lot. Holly would have been worried about getting into an accident if the roads didn't look like a ghost town. She literally saw no one, maybe a few people in shops, and one car was waiting at the lights.  
Fear pricked her skin. "He's everywhere," she said, and she sensed him all over the town. Holly pressed her palm up against the cold window as Dean sped down the laneway. She swore she saw blood splattered all over the old brick buildings.  
"Sam," she breathed, and he turned to look out where she had laid her eyes. Passing by an old church, the windows were smashed and the cross that stood upright in the front yard was broken. Blood stained the ground.  
"Shit," she whispered. Shadows slithered over the street. Her chest felt like it was being compressed.  
Dean ran a red light, and turned a sharp right down an older dirt road. They were out of the main downtown now, and were heading out farther into the bigger properties. "This way," Holly leaned forward, placing her head in between the Hunters bodies. She pointed up. "There's an empty lot up here."  
Sam turned around. "Are you sure he's not following us?"  
"Shit." Dean hit the wheel with his hand. "He can't have gotten to us already."  
Holly turned, staring out the back window. She gazed solemnly at the road behind them. The dark presence still filled her thoughts; but it wasn't alarming her. "He's waiting," she said. "He's not giving chase."  
She narrowed her eyes at the storm clouds gathering. Her mind was buzzing, as if she had been thrown out of sleep into this nightmarish world. She could feel Dean's heart beating as well as her own. It rang in her ears.  
Two hearts, beating as one.  
"Holly?" Sam's voice drew her out of her thoughts.  
"Huh?" she turned to him, breathing fast.  
"Do you feel something?" He shifted his gaze from her to Dean and back. They passed through a patch of trees, and it threw shadows over his handsome face.  
Holly frowned nervously. "I don't know what I feel, but he's out there. A storm's coming."  
_I don't know what I feel._  
There was the squealing of tires and the crunch of gravel as Dean drove into the empty lot. It spanned out for quite a few acres, desolate, and full of weeds and broken glass. Trees surrounded most of it, cutting off the few houses that dotted the road- they were at the dead end. Across the valley, Holly could see the lights of her city dotting the landscape.  
Dean turned off the car, and the world was silent for a moment, filled with only their bated breaths.  
"You two need to get out of the car and set the trap," Holly said. "I don't know how much time we have."  
Dean looked at Sam. "I don't like the idea of leaving you here alone."  
Holly looked at him. "It's the only way."  
She was right, and they knew it. Dean slid his long knife out from his duffel. It gleamed in the dim overhead car light. Holly shivered.  
Sam creaked the door open quietly, and Dean did the same. Holly gripped the knife in her hand, and closed her eyes, whispering a small prayer to the Goddess. Her hair fluttered around her face. The medicine she took had worked, and her arm was no longer sore. She could think clearly.  
"Protect me, protect them."  
Dean rapped on her window, and she jumped. His face was shrouded in darkness; the clouds were forming overhead, covering the world in bleak gray. Holly snapped the handle back and stepped out. The air was dropping in temperature.  
"We're going to be over there." Dean gestured towards a dark patch of weeping willows and great oaks. Their branches were twisted, digging deeper into each other. Sam came up beside his brother. In his hands were a couple of needles full of the dead man's blood. It made her think of Francis and Randy.  
"Holly?"  
"Yeah, okay."  
"But first…" Dean set his jaw and got back into the Impala, spinning it out of the lot and driving it down the road a bit further, until Holly couldn't see it from where she was standing.  
"So Vail doesn't see it and know we're here," Sam said. "He may be shit crazy, but he's not stupid."  
"Will he smell you guys on me?" Holly asked, stepping back. It was possible he would-hadn't she kissed Dean not an hour ago?  
Sam looked around the lot. "Hopefully the scent of your blood will overpower that. He means business now; look at what he did to your street."  
"Yeah," Holly said, folding her arms, growing cold, the knife still in her hand. She felt Dean returning up the drive, his feet pounding on the dirt. "Sammy, let's go."  
Sam stepped away, looking like he wanted to stay. "We're going to be with you here, Holly."  
"Wait." She followed him, unclasping her necklace and pressing it into his hands. She had blessed it with a charm not a few moments ago. "For luck," she whispered. His green eyes were trained on hers, unreadable. "Go," she said, a bad feeling forming in her stomach. "Go!"  
Sam turned, running after his brother. The wind picked up, whipping Holly's hair around her head. Her heart was pounding in her ears. She could feel Dean travelling further away, and she could feel their determination. Her skin pricked with fear, but her hands clenched in anger. The knife's handle dug into her skin. She could do this.  
Holly walked to the centre of the lot, her shoes crunching on sticks and broken beer bottles. She saw an ash-ridden fire pit nearby. Obviously, the place was a hangout for teens. She wondered, with a heavy heart, if Francis had ever gathered with friends here.  
Gazing up into the darkening clouds, she widened her eyes. The sky was almost black.  
_Odd…it's not even the afternoon yet._  
Her arm began to throb. She realized she couldn't even feel Sam or Dean anymore; just the darkness.  
Holly turned around on her heels, the knife hidden up her sleeve. Dean had dipped it in the dead man's blood earlier that morning, so it would at least do a little damage to Vail if things got out of hand.  
_Holly…._  
The wind whispered through her ears, calling her name. She felt sick, and whipped around again, narrowing her eyes at the trees. It was him; she could feel the death and the violence that dripped off when he walked. It was all over the field, on the trees, in the air.  
This darkness was suffocating.  
The stench filled her lungs, and she spat on the ground. "Vail," she growled, turning, expecting to see him there. And she didn't even have to draw her own blood…  
He wasn't there. It was as if she was sensing ghosts.  
There was a _crack_ as a branch snapped on the ground. Holly's ears pricked at the sound, and her heart raced. She knew she was being watched.  
It was as if she had been cut off from all connection in the world- she couldn't feel anything other than the presence behind her. Even the wind was muted in her ears.  
"Hello, Holly."  
His voice sent a chill through her spine, and she stiffened. Vail's words were like poisonous velvet.  
_It's about time you showed up._  
She fingered the knife in her pocket as she turned around, catching her breath. Vail stood before her, magnificent in dark leather and pale, glowing skin. For someone who's lived longer than a hundred years, he looked pretty damn young.  
Still, the red tinge of his eyes made Holly's stomach turn. In them she saw the death of all the people he had killed. In the blood she saw running down his chin, she saw murder.  
Holly trembled, but from with panic or fury, she didn't know.  
"I'm going to kill you," she whispered, surprised at the calmness of her own voice.  
Vail chuckled, and he waved his claw-like hand in the air. The force hit her, and she felt his rough skin scrape over her cheek. She bent over, coughing, but stumbled back up. She touched her cheek, but didn't feel blood. _Good._  
"That was a bit forward, wasn't it?" he smiled, showing his second set of teeth, gleaming. Holly stepped back a bit, not knowing what to do. Sam and Dean hadn't had time to tell her what was going on. She was a rat trapped in a cage.  
Vail breathed in deep, and sighed.  
"Oh, my precious virgin, it's been such a horrible wait, you know that? I would have broken into your house last night, if not for the protection your parents had placed on it. It's like an anti-vampire house, you know that?" he laughed. "I was surprised at how powerful it was. But then again, you witches always know how to dish out a good spell."  
Holly snarled at him. "Don't you touch me."  
Vail grinned, walking towards her. She stepped back, crunching glass. It made her stagger a bit. Her veins pulsed with adrenaline, but underneath, she was scared to death. In Vail's gaze, she saw certain death. He wanted her dead, but who knew what he would do to her first?  
"Gotcha." He grabbed her wrist, flinging her to the ground. Holly had the breath knocked out of her. The knife flew out of her sleeve, landing a foot away. She reached for it, but Vail stepped on her hand. It bent under his weight and she screamed.  
The vampire bent down, the sick pleasure showing in his face. "Oh, darling, don't worry, the fun has just begun."  
Holly's chest heaved, and she struggled to get up. She needed to keep herself out of Vail's grasp until Dean and Sam had a chance.  
Vail swatted her face again, and this time his nails drew blood. She saw it splatter on the ground, and her cheek burned. She cried out, her head landing on the ground. Vail knelt on her chest, his face leering into hers. His breath made her want to throw up.  
His knee dug into her ribs, and she couldn't breathe. Holly felt defenseless and weak. What was she thinking, trying to take on this vampire?  
Vail licked his lips. "My place or yours?"  
"You sick bastard," she growled, gritting her teeth. "You're not getting anything."  
The beer bottle behind him…she saw it lying on the ground, a couple of feet away.  
Holly let her eyes drift to Vail's. She stared into those crimson pools.  
Behind his head, the bottle floated…  
"Oh, Holly," he said, shaking his head. "You're all mine now…"  
His fingers trailed down her chest and she squirmed.  
_3…2…1…_  
There was the smashing sound of glass as the bottle made contact with the back of Vail's head. He snarled, leaping off of her. Holly gasped, letting the air flow into her lungs again. She curled over, and staggered upright.  
Vail spat, circling around her. His hands were out from his sides, curling into claws.  
"Oh, bitch, you're gonna bleed," his voice growled.  
Holly paced around him as well, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. The rest of the bottle was in her hand, the jagged edges pointing out. She held it in front of her. "Touch me, and your face gets ripped off," she muttered, stepping over the fire pit. The blood was running down her cheeks, and she flicked it off. It was warm on her cold skin, and the smell of it filled the air.  
Vail hissed at her, and she could see the hunger fill his gaze.  
"Oh, you want it?" she cocked her head, regaining her strength, but still, there was no sign of Sam and Dean.  
_I thought I could rely on you, Hunters._  
Holly's eyes flicked to where there was a sudden flare in the trees. It was a signal; she needed to draw Vail over to the darkness.  
"Come and get it." She took off running, and she could feel Vail right at her feet, and claws snatched at the back of her jacket. She lunged backwards with the bottle, but it threw her off balance, and both she and the vampire tumbled to the ground.  
"Shit!" Her head made contact with the dirt and she blacked out for a second, regaining consciousness to find Vail kneeling on the ground, his face smeared with soil. His face snapped to hers.  
Holly tried to get up, but her knees gave out. Her head was swimming. Vail stepped to his feet, dusting himself off. His eyes were full of venom.  
She stepped backwards, wobbling, but still intact.  
It had worked; Vail was near the edge of the trees.  
"Let's try this again, shall we?" his voice had changed back to smooth and deadly. Holly breathed, her hair floating in tangles around her face. The leaves on the trees began to shake, but she couldn't tell whether it was from the wind or her powers.  
_The knife._ In an instant, there was a whooshing sound, followed by a metallic clang as the knife slid into the side of her shoe. She bent down, keeping her eyes trained on Vail's menacing figure.  
She could feel a slight disturbance among the forest- Dean and Sam were there, ready to make their move.  
She held out the knife in front of her, circling back so she was heading to the trees, herself. Vail advanced, coming towards the edge of the forest. His lips pulled back to reveal his sharp teeth. Blood stained his mouth like lipstick.  
Holly felt the leaves under her feet as she entered the forest.  
She felt Dean again, and she breathed a sigh of relief. His presence calmed her.  
Vail had stopped, though, as if he could feel Dean as well. Holly's breath caught short.  
"What's the matter, Vail? Afraid of the dark?"  
He looked around the edge of the trees, examining the path she had made. She brushed the blood off of her cheek and held it out, hoping it would tantalize him. He looked back at her, and grinned, taking a step forward.  
Holly felt herself stop in her tracks. She was dead meat.  
Dean wasn't here; she couldn't feel his figure, just the brush of his clothes on the leaves.  
_Where the fuck where they?_  
Vail's figure was just a dark silhouette at the edge of the forest. Her back was against a tree. Her blood pounded in her ears. She was trapped, once again. She saw shadows flicker in her vision. Vail was drawing closer.  
A giant shadow rose behind Vail's head, and brought down. There was a snap, and Vail cried out, leaping at Holly, but he stumbled over, farther into the bushes. Sam was revealed in the path, his hands outstretched. Holly ran to him, out into the field. Behind her, Vail was blindly stumbling around in circles, making a racket.  
Dean was waiting for them, the long machete knife in his hand. Sam pushed Holly behind him. She gasped, falling to one knee. Her head pounded.  
"I got him with the dead man's blood," Sam yelled, as the wind began to blow harshly, making it hard to concentrate. Holly closed her eyes, and held a hand to her bleeding cheek.  
Dean grabbed Holly by the elbow, and grabbed her palm with his free hand. Strength flowed into her, making her feel alive. She snapped open her eyes, staring at Dean. "Thank you," she exclaimed, squeezing his palm. "About time you guys showed up."  
Dean just stared ahead, tensing. Holly dropped his hand, turning to the trees. Out of the shadows, Vail was staggering, his hand grasping his shoulder, where the needle was sticking out. It was now empty, but still Vail was conscious. Sam opened his mouth in disbelief.  
"Ah, you two boys," Vail exclaimed over the howling wind, wrenching the needle out of his skin. "That's gonna leave a mark." There was a slight drooping wilt to his footsteps, but Holly saw, her eyes widening, that the vampire showed no signs of slowing.  
"What the fuck is going on?" Holly asked, whirling her head around to look at both the brothers. "I thought that stuff was poison to them!"  
"It is," Dean said gruffly, pushing her back. "But apparently he's stronger than that."  
Vail laughed, standing up straight and throwing his head back. Holly saw the storm clouds gather again, and they blackened, electricity crackling.  
Sam and Dean both held long knives out, and Holly slipped hers up her sleeve. She noticed the duffel nearby, and knelt down to grab another vial of blood. Maybe he would need double doses.  
Rain began to splatter down on her face. It fell from the sky, angry and fast. The wind blew it sideways, so they became like bullets into their sides. Holly held her arm up, making her way around Dean so she could see where Vail was. The vampire cocked his head, staring straight at her.  
Holly steadied herself, the vial in her pocket and the knife up her sleeve. She held out her hands.  
Unexpectedly, Vail launched himself at Sam. Man and beast collided, and there was savage snarling as the two scuffled on the ground. Sam was throwing punches, while Vail was clawing his skin, drawing blood. Dean grabbed a hold of Vail's collar, and wrenched his head back, the knife at Vail's throat. In turn, Vail had his own dagger at Sam's.  
"Try me," Vail sneered, exposing his bloody teeth. Sam's face was bleeding, and the knife nicked his skin. Holly stared in shock at the three figures in front of her, as the rain poured down. She needed to do something.  
Dean shifted, the knife still on Vail, but he was growing anxious. Vail chuckled, the metal blade seeming not to disturb him. Sam choked, the air not reaching his lungs, as Vail also had his iron grip around his neck with his other hand.  
Holly slid the vial out of her pocket, and slid her dagger out of her sleeve. With fluidity, she poured the whole thing on the knife's blade. Shaking, and before the boys clued in to what she was doing, she whipped it with as much strength as she could, right at Vail's face. She pushed it with her mind, focusing with all her power on it reaching its target.  
It buried itself deep in Vail's skull, barely missing dean, and there was a satisfying crunching sound. The knife slipped from his long fingers, and Sam threw the vampire off, and Vail tumbled to the ground. Dean was pulling Sam up and away from the writhing creature. Vail was thrashing on the dirt as thunder boomed in the distant. The air was filled with the vampire's moans.  
Holly dropped the empty vial to the ground.  
_The bastard better die, now._  
She stepped to Dean's side, and Sam wrenched her back. "Good job," he whispered, but his grip was hard, and he was not letting go. "Let Dean take care of this."  
She stared at him. "He's going to die, right?"  
Vail had stopped moving, and the sound of the rain filled the silence. The water was dripping down Holly's face, washing away the blood along with the pain. It was down to a dull throb, now. Sam's hair was plastered to his forehead.  
The vampire lay motionless on the ground. Holly couldn't believe her eyes.  
Dean stepped forward, the long knife held out, his feet moving around Vail's body. He peered down, the edge of the blade dipping towards Vail's throat.  
_It's over now._  
Just then she felt something wrong; there was a blip in her radar.  
"Dean…"  
_It's never over._  
Vail's hand reached up, grabbed Dean's throat, and the next thing Holly knew, Dean was halfway across the field, tumbling like a rag-doll. "No!" Sam screamed, and hurled himself at the vampire, the knife held above his head. Holly stood there, shocked.  
_Never over._  
Sam was down; Vail was getting up, twisting his head and fingering the knife in his skull.  
"That really hurt, Holly."  
A sick feeling overtook her, and she bent down on one knee. "Please," she gasped, the air not reaching her lungs fast enough. She was choking on the darkness again.  
Vail stepped closer, and Sam was twitching on the ground. She could see blood.  
Holly coughed, the rain swirling around her feet.  
Cold hands were on her throat; she was gasping, clawing at his grip, but it wouldn't give.  
She met his crimson eyes.  
Reaching up, Vail wrenched the knife out of his head. It dripped fresh with his blood as well.  
"Ouch."  
She wheezed; her feet were just barely brushing the dirt. Vail smiled. Blood dripped from his lips.  
_Dean…_  
She could feel his heart weakly beating, and heard someone coughing.  
Tears ran fresh along with the rain that trickled down her face. They were warm.  
Vail brought his face closer to hers.  
"Time to sleep, my dear."  
Holly lifted her eyes to the black clouds, her vision blurring.  
_Sam… I'm so sorry._  
There was another blip on her radar, and then nothing. Fear coursed through her.  
She saw death in the clouds.  
She saw lightning pierce the sky, and then she blacked out.

_Blood, splattered on the walls._  
She blinked, drowsy.  
_A cold chill sliding down her skin._  
Her vision blurred.  
_Claws on her neck._  
Her head pounded.  
_Heavy, screeching chains dragging on the floor…_  
_Screams._

Holly awoke, gasping, her eyelids flickering, adjusting to the darkness.  
The only thing she could hear was the fast beating of her own heart.  
_Calm_  
She was alone, suffering in a dank, dark cave.  
Holly closed her eyes, moaning. Her body was sore, and she could feel her hands tied and one of her ankles had a rusty metal chain clamped around it. Sweat covered her skin, which most of, she noticed in horror, was uncovered. Somehow, someone had dressed her in a flimsy white nightgown.  
_Vail._  
A feeling of sickness swept over her, and she dry-heaved, her back arching up against the ropes that restrained her. She could feel nothing on her dry, cracked lips, and realized she hadn't eaten anything in a day.  
Holly stared upwards at the ceiling. She was somewhere underground, where stalactites hung from the dripping rocks. The room felt of fear, and death. People had died here.  
Holly swallowed dryly, gazing around, as much as she could with her body bound to a slab of rock, which was cold and hard on her back. It was a small, enclosed area, and there was only one entrance in and out that she could see. It lay farthest from her, like a gaping black hole. Flickering candles stood melting on ledges, all around the room, giving off a dim and gloomy light. Holly couldn't see any other signs of life.  
Except for the blood on the walls.  
She trembled, her fingers clenching the rough stone. The stains formed grotesque paintings, murals she couldn't understand. Some of it was fresh.  
Holly's eyes followed the red trails over the rocky surface until her head started to spin. She closed her eyes, seeing crimson tornadoes.  
She had to get out of here.  
It took her a second to notice that something was missing; it felt as if her soul was a jigsaw puzzle that had been haphazardly strewn together, with a few pieces still lying on the floor.  
Her head throbbed as she thought about it, and an image formed clear in her head.  
_Dean._  
A fresh wave of terror washed over her as she realized that the Hunter brothers were still out there, in the rain, and she had left them dying in that empty lot. Dying, or something like it.  
It hurt to breathe; it felt like half of her heart was missing.  
She choked on an empty sob; the cry echoed throughout the cave. The candles on the wall flickered, as if they could feel her pain. She tried to lift her arms against her bonds.  
No luck- even if the bonds weren't tight, she wouldn't have been able to be strong enough to lift them, because her arms felt like lead. Wherever Dean was, he was hurt badly, or perhaps even still unconscious. Holly let out a long, mournful sigh.  
_Dear Goddess, let me have the strength to fix what I have done._  
She knew if those Hunters never opened their eyes again, then it would be the end of the world for her, and other people in this city. She would be responsible for their deaths. That couldn't happen.  
Holly tried wiggling her toes, and she could, but there was no feeling in them. She could see, by scrunching her eyes and looking down, that there were various cuts and bruises all over her legs, which popped out from the wispy white thing Vail had put her in.  
Her skin crawled with disgust. What had he done to her while she had been asleep?  
Images and flashes of a nightmare filled her head. Had he…  
She couldn't see any signs of her normal clothes anywhere around the room. She burned with anger, which made the candles flicker against the walls again, and one went out.  
Holly breathed in deep, which made her aching chest hurt. As far as she could tell, he hadn't done anything serious to her, but she couldn't be sure.  
Sam's voice echoed in her ears.  
_He likes to prey on virgin girls, especially. He drugs them, and sneaks them off in the night._  
Holly tried in vain to free herself from her bonds, panicking, but she was weak, and the ropes were strong. Even if she managed to undo them by using her powers, she still had to deal with the big chain around her ankle.  
When he came back, he was not getting anywhere near her, or her virginity.  
She almost laughed at the situation she was in, but then it made her think of Dean, and when she thought of him, she felt weak and alone again. Her spirit was slowly draining out of her body, because their connection was so far apart. The draining hole in her heart was getting wider; somewhere out there, Dean was badly hurt, and she knew he had little time.  
_Whatever little strength I have left, I will give it to you._  
Holly knew the Hunters had a better chance at stopping Vail than she did at this moment. If she drained most of her life force sharing it with Dean, she didn't care. Maybe it was the little coward in the back of her brain saying that she didn't want to be conscious when Vail came back for her.  
"Dean," she opened her lips and breathed his name. Her heart rate slowed a little.  
A few more candles went out, enveloping her in darkness.

_He opened his eyes, and felt the pain.  
Rain onto his skin, onto his face, into his mouth.  
Someone was whispering his name._

She willed herself to concentrate on him, to let the life flow out of her and into his spirit. Her arms were starting to go numb, and yet she still continued on.  
By now, half of the candles were out.  
A soft breeze hit her burning cheeks.  
_Dean._  
She felt the tiniest tremor, in the back of her mind.

_"Holly!"  
His yell echoed in the distance, and it surprised him, how her name just spilled out of his mouth. Thunder answered back.  
His arm twitched, and he realized that he could move his hand. The pain was slowly numbing, fading away.  
She was out there, helping him.  
There was a moan from across the field.  
Sam was waking._

She was almost completely in darkness now, and her skin felt like ice.  
Holly wanted to wipe the sweat away from her fore-head, but she was exhausted, and the ropes still had not loosened. They were rubbing uncomfortable against her chest.  
But Dean was awake- she could feel it.  
Her eyelids flickered, and she was slowly drifting off into blackness. She had tried her best, and now her life was in the hands of the Hunters.  
A tear formed at the corner of her right eye, and she trembled.  
At least her heart felt whole again.  
Holly let her head drop back, closing her eyes, breathing deeply…  
Her breath stopped as she heard the footsteps.

_She was still alive.  
"The car!" he yelled to Sam, who was standing shakily on his legs. They were both pretty bruised up, but he felt like he could take on the world. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, as the lightning tore through the sky.  
Into the Impala. Dripping on the seats. Starting the car with shaking hands.  
"Do you know where she is?" Sam barked at him, but he didn't turn.  
The windshield wipers whipped across the glass.  
He ground the dirt out of the parking lot, and stepped on the gas.  
"I can feel her," he answered.  
Sam hit the dashboard, and the sound hurt his head. He gritted his teeth.  
"Damnit!"  
"We're going to catch him," he exclaimed, turning the wheel to tear down the main road, which was still abandoned, and was full of shadows and gloom. He saw this town in a different light, now.  
Was he seeing it through Holly's eyes?  
__**Dean.**__  
Panic, sheer panic. His heart raced.  
The steering wheel turned again, and they were headed down a different road.  
"Dean!" That was Sam's voice. "Is she okay?"  
His eyes were wide. "He's coming."  
__**He's coming.**__  
In his mind, he saw black curls on a bleak gray background._

_Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit._  
Holly's skin was clammy, and sweat broke out all over her body. Her head twisted, and she tried to wriggle free again, but she was so tired, and the ropes felt like they had been burned into her skin.  
Someone was at the entrance to the cave.  
Her heart felt like it was going to burst through her chest.  
The smell hit her, that awful blackness, full of death and blood and fear. He wanted to rip her to a million little pieces, she knew. But first…she shivered. He had something else in mind.  
The blood on the walls seemed to turn black as he entered the room. He was dressed all in black, again, but he had on a white collared shirt under his jacket.  
Holly stared with disdain at the nightgown she was in. _How cliché._  
"You're awake, my dear."  
She kept her eyes glued to the dripping ceiling, hoping one of those stalactites would drop down and pierce him through. Clenching her jaw, she didn't answer.  
Vail was at her side in a moment, and she had difficulty breathing through the maleficent aura that just seeped out of his skin. Holly had no choice to look at his ruggedly handsome face, which had been cleaned of blood and dirt. He would have been just a normal, formally dressed man if it were not for the eerie red eyes and the fact that death seemed to emanate off of him.  
His hands touched her throat, and she started. His fingers were like sharp ice.  
"Go fuck yourself," she spat at him, struggling against her bonds.  
Vail laughed, that poisonous velvet slithering over her skin. It echoed around the cavern.  
"Quite the opposite, actually," he answered, leaning down to kiss her neck. His lips felt like knives on her flesh. Holly winced, and her mind was filled with dark images. She no longer felt Dean in her thoughts; instead, this venomous, murderous cloud saturated her mind.  
His lips slid down her neck to her collarbone, and Holly held her breath.  
"Get off of me." She tried to make her voice like steel, but instead it came out shaky  
Vail lifted his head to grin at her, his fangs exposed.  
"You're _mine_ now, Holly. Do you really think I'm not going to appreciate the moment?"  
Holly swallowed hard, but to her relief he stepped back and paced around the rock she was being strapped down on. His figure was cloaked in darkness against the dim light of the candles.  
"I've always liked you, my girl. You were always so different."  
Holly rolled her eyes, despite herself.  
"Why, because I'm a witch?" Venom inched its way into her words.  
"No." Vail stopped pacing, and turned to her, his dark eyebrow raising. "Precisely, because you're human."  
Holly frowned at the ceiling. "Not most people would agree with you." She needed to keep him talking, to save time. Something told her that Dean and Sam would find a way to get to her.  
When she thought of them, a light appeared in that cloud of darkness.  
"Have you ever met a witch outside of your family, Holly? They are evil, whorish demon-worshipping bitches. Quite powerful, non-the-less, but definitely not as human as one would think." Vail came to her side again, and touched her hand, and she recoiled.  
"My parents tried to raise me right," Holly muttered, trying not to meet his scarlet gaze.  
"Mmm, your parents," Vail said, sliding down onto one knee, still caressing her hand. "They might have tried to do that, but did you also know that they were trying to protect you?"  
Holly couldn't help it anymore; she flicked her eyes to his, disbelieving. "What do you know about my family?"  
"I know that they tried to give you a normal life, because they wanted you to be safe." He leaned forward, his foul breath tickling her lips. "Do you know, Holly, exactly how many vampires there are in this town?"  
She flinched away from him, but still she was intrigued. "The odd few, I guess."  
"Wrong. Vampires make up almost the entire population of this town." He smiled at her, his fingers travelling up her arm. "Precisely why I made my home here. Good eating."  
Holly raised her upper lip in disgust, but her mind was reeling. Her whole life she had lived among vampires? "How come it hasn't turned into a giant blood fest, then?"  
"The vampires here are quite neutral. They live to protect their families, and give them a normal life, much like your parents did to you. They fear being hunted by the Hunters, not to mention people like me." His fangs gleamed as he brought his face closer.  
Holly was overwhelmed by his mental and physical stench. She couldn't help but smell the blood on his breath.  
"You ever wonder, Holly, why people avoided you after I killed your parents?"  
Rage filled her, and she spat out her words. "You don't know anything about my life, you sonofabitch."  
"Oh, Holly, you don't mean that." He smiled, his fingers fluttering over her shoulder. "But, to answer your question, it was because they knew you were a witch. You were alien, so different to them. People avoided you like the plague, yes?" He raised his eyebrows again.  
Holly broke down inside. To hear these words coming out of this vampire's mouth made her sick and yet sad at the same time, because he was right.  
"Why would they avoid me if they knew I was a witch?" Holly whispered, her mouth trembling, though she tried to hold it back. _My whole life is a lie._ "How come I wasn't killed?"  
"Because you were marked as mine." Vail pressed his lips to her throat. "They weren't going to fuck with the man on top, were they?"  
And he took a deep breath, inhaling her scent. Holly quaked with fear, because she felt like she had no hope. She forgot about Sam and Dean.  
_It's all a lie._  
Suddenly Vail was on top of her, his mouth forcing its way onto hers, and his arms had her shoulders pinned down. Holly couldn't move.  
"Mmmph!" She tried to move her head, but her lack of strength combined with Vail's weight made that impossible. His cold lips were all over her face, and he snarled with pleasure and bit her lip. Holly moaned in pain as her warm blood dripped down her chin.  
_Please,  
stop._  
She didn't have the strength to fight him anymore, but her stomach curled in disgust at the thought of Vail tasting her blood. His tongue lapped her cheek.  
"It tastes all the much sweeter after the chase," he rasped, brushing the curls off of her forehead. His chest was still pressed to hers, but his feet were planted on the cave floor.  
She couldn't face him-her cheeks were flushed, and her hands trembled. She would rather be killed than have to please him.  
Her mind was filled with the dark and the pain. Her spirit still felt weak.  
_Just let me die._

_"We're losing her!"  
He wrenched the steering wheel to the left, and rain was pounding against the windshield as the tires turned in the wet dirt. He didn't know where they were going, just that it better get them to Holly in time.  
Someone was sucking her dry.  
"Vail's got her," he growled, and Sam rummaged through the soaked duffle bag on his lap.  
"Dean, just concentrate on driving."  
"Goddamnit, we can't let her die!" he pounded the wheel, narrowly missing driving into the ditch.  
Sam stopped rummaging. "Dean, calm down. I don't know how you feel about Holly, or why, but she's a strong girl. Trust me, I want to kill this thing just as much as you do."  
He felt cold inside, like Holly was drifting farther away.  
"She's giving up," he whispered. Sam turned to him.  
"Dean, hold on. I think we're almost there." He pointed ahead. "See that cliff?"  
Dean stopped the car._

Vail was sliding his hand up her leg.  
Holly flinched, turning her head to the side, but he still had his lips to her cheek.  
_This can't be happening._  
Vail chuckled deeply. "Oh, baby, it's going to happen."  
She whimpered as he ripped a piece off of the nightgown, exposing her thigh. "What smooth legs you have," he said, dipping down to run his lips up the inside of her leg, leaving a trail of blood. Fear coursed through her, and she hated herself for being so helpless.  
Holly closed her eyes, and the last remaining candles flickered on the walls again. She saw nothing she could use to harm him with her mind. He had cleared the room of all sharp, dangerous, and pointy things.  
Her eyes rose to one of the stalactites on the ceiling.  
She concentrated with all her might, and it trembled; barely. She couldn't muster the strength to try harder.  
Slowly, Vail was inching his way up to her panties with his cold nails. He brushed over her stomach, and she quivered.  
"Stop, please," she begged, and her voice caught in her throat. _Keep him talking._  
He laughed again. Holly struggled for something to say.  
His lips pressed against her belly button; the nightgown was pushed up all the way to her breasts. Holly quivered as the cold air hit her flushed skin, and she tried to kick up with her one free leg. Vail gripped her thigh and dug his nails in, and she screamed.  
"That's more like it," he murmured, lowering his head to lick the blood that had been drawn. Pain coursed through Holly.  
Her vision started to blur, and she wanted to escape this horror. Slide away into her sub-consciousness, and sleep forever…  
She felt something at the distant edge of her mind, yelling her name.  
She opened her eyes, but Vail was still keeping himself occupied. He hadn't heard the sound.  
They were coming.

_"This way!"  
He could feel her growing closer.  
Sam was right on his heels._

Holly felt her senses prick, and the feeling returned to her limbs. She felt a little better, as if that hole in her chest had been partially plugged up. _It must be Dean._  
How did he find her?  
"Oh, Goddess," she murmured to herself in thanks, leaning her head back. Vail mistook this for pleasure and he crawled on top of her, dipping his head to kiss her throat. "Finally, you're seeing the light, now, my dear?"  
_More than you know, buddy._  
If Dean and Sam had found their way in, she needed to distract Vail.  
She threw herself into kissing him, pursing her lips and fluttering her eyelashes. Vail hungrily grabbed her hair and pressed her down against the rock. Holly bit his lip, feeling disgusted with herself, but her plan was working. Vail was too wrapped up in his top prize to notice the two figures that had entered the room.  
Holly leaned her head around Vail to gaze at the rock doorway as Vail nibbled her neck, and her eyes landed on Sam and Dean. She almost let herself cry, but instead she mouthed _hurry,_ at them. Dean's face was like stone- he had come on a mission, to slay this vampire. Holly felt rejuvenated, and instantly wanted to be near him. Her heart ached.  
Sam nodded, staying close to the edge of the wall. His eyes were on Vail, who was growing fervent in his kisses and now was scraping her skin with his teeth. Holly cried out in pain, but the vampire didn't slow down. His mouth was sucking feverishly at her neck.  
Dean stiffened, as if he felt her pain. In his hand glinted a large sword, big enough to slice right through Vail's head.  
He followed Sam around the edge of the wall, staying close to the darkness. Holly felt the anger and the determination radiating off of them. Both Sam and Dean wanted her safe, and this vampire dead. Her head whirred, but with confusion or loss of blood, she didn't know.  
She gasped in anguish as Vail drew more blood. Her legs bent, and the chain rattled, filling the room with a clanging sound. She wanted to struggle, but she couldn't distract Vail.  
_Hurry,_ she mouthed again, impatient. The Hunters were getting closer, but she was losing blood, fast. Her vision was blurring, and she felt tired, even though Dean was here, and seeing him somehow gave her a will to stay alive.  
Seeing both of them gave her that will.  
A soft whimper escaped her throat, and she could see, looking at her skin, that it was growing paler. Vail couldn't seem to control his hunger. The pain in her neck increased.  
Both Sam and Dean's faces seemed to mirror that pain.  
Holly waited until they were a couple of feet away from the slab of rock she rested on. Dean held up the knife in front of him, ready to attack-she could see it plain in his expression. Sam held out a hand, stopping his brother. If Dean killed Vail now, he would be killing Holly.  
Holly gathered all of her strength, which had improved since Dean had gotten closer. Their connection flowed cleanly through her, making her feel more alive. Vail must have been attracted to that energy, which is why he had dove straight into drinking her blood.  
Yelling, she slammed her forehead into his with as much force as she could, and then raised her legs underneath her to jab him in the stomach. Vail growled, detaching himself from Holly and springing back from her body, blood pouring down his chin. Holly saw stars swim in front of her eyes.  
There was a snarl from Vail's direction, and she knew he had spotted the Hunters.  
There was no time to waste. Sam dove to Holly while Dean launched himself at the vampire with the sword outstretched in his arm.  
Sam's fingers quickly undid the ropes with a small knife he slid out of his pocket. Holly was breathing fast, struggling to get up. From behind her, she heard cries of pain and sounds of a struggle. They had to help Dean.  
"Sam," she breathed, as she moved her arms slowly after they had been released. The feeling had returned to them. "Thank you."  
They both looked helplessly at the chain attached to her foot. Sam pulled her up, and she wobbled in his grip.  
Dean had Vail up against the wall, the sword to his throat, but Vail had his grip under Dean's chin as well. Holly gulped, but she couldn't stand up properly. The blood was running down her neck, and she felt woozy. Pain coursed through her.  
Sam pushed her to the side, and he slid another long knife out from under his jacket. Holly slid down the wall, unable to stand on her own. She ached with every part of her body to go and fight. Sam stalked forward.  
There was silence for a moment, but Holly had a hard time seeing from where she was sitting, and it stung to turn her head. The wound on her neck was throbbing, and she winced.  
_Please,  
please…_  
There was the sound of a body hitting the floor, a cry of pain, and the clang of metal.  
There was a giant _splat,_ and more blood covered the floor.  
Holly held her breath, terrified.  
"Dean," she whispered, scraping her feet along the floor, attempting to stand.  
Suddenly Dean was there, slicing the huge iron ball at the end of the chain with the sword, and lifting her up into his arms. Holly blinked, in shock.  
"Dean, is he-"  
"Vail's dead," he said gruffly, pressing her into his chest. Holly felt warmth and sleepiness overwhelm her. "Holly, are you alright?"  
"My throat's on fire." The chain swung from her ankle, weighing it down, but she was free. She saw rock walls pass in her vision.  
Dean's hand found its way to her bloody neck, and he hissed.  
_Vail's dead. Was it really over?_  
"Sam's burning the bastard's body right now," Dean said, as if answering her question. "We need to get out of here."  
It had all happened so fast. Holly felt breathless.  
Her eyelids flickered.  
"Holly? Holly, stay with me," he rubbed her arm. "We're going to get you to a hospital."  
She heard rain, and knew they were about to step outside.  
"It's gonna get a bit wet."  
_He's dead…_  
Tears trickled down her cheeks, mingling with the rain. She felt happiness and exhaustion. She turned her face into Dean's chest. She was just glad to be near him again.  
This bond was undeniably controlling her emotions.  
"Dean, I'm sorry," she murmured, as Dean opened the door to the Impala and set her down into the backseat. They were both dripping with rainwater.  
He closed the door and slid into the front seat, honking the horn. The sound made her flinch.  
She could feel Sam run out of the cave, could feel his anxiety as he neared the car. The rain was pounding on the roof. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she felt something like compassion.  
From which Hunter, she didn't know.  
"You've got nothing to be sorry for, Holly," Dean said, starting the engine. "You almost got killed back there."  
Sam got into the backseat as well, lifting Holly's head into his lap. "Dean, drive," he said. "She's losing blood quickly."  
Something about that statement made her giggle.  
She could see Sam's soft green eyes staring down at her. He was worried.  
"Oh, I'm fine…" she drifted off, turning her head. She noticed there were red stains all over the seat. _Was that me?_  
"Oops," she whispered, rolling her eyes back. The ceiling was growing fuzzy, and she couldn't feel her fingers. Sam's face blurred.  
His face was covered in blood, too.  
She touched it, and it was wet. "We match," she said simply.  
Holly wasn't functioning anymore. She was a walking, drabbling disaster. The what-could-have-been rape, the blood loss, and Vail's defeat had gotten to her head.  
_Welcome to Savannah. Population: 3_  
She laughed out loud at that thought. To think, two Hunters and a witch were considered human in a city of vampires.  
Sam's hand was pressing something against her neck, and she could hear some intense talking going on, but it was all muffled to her ears.  
She yawned. "I'm tired."  
Her cheek was being slapped.  
"Ow."  
"Holly, stay awake, we're almost there."  
_But I'm so sleepy…_  
The pain in her neck was a dull throbbing. Sam's lap was so comfy, and she wanted to curl up and sleep for days.  
Her shoulders were being shaken. "Holly, stay with me."  
Dean blasted the AC/DC and Holly opened her eyes wide. The music pounded through her skull, and she felt as if she had been snapped out of a trance.  
Her head pounded along with the music, and her neck felt like rubber.  
"Better," Dean said gruffly, turning the music down, and sped through the streets like a maniac. Holly gazed out the opposite window. They were close to the hospital.  
"Sam," she whispered, grabbing his strong arm. She felt better holding on to something. His other arm was holding a strip of cloth to her neck, keeping it elevated. Fresh blood was dripping onto his lap.  
"Is he really dead?"  
"Yes," Sam said, bowing his head. "He's gone for good, Holly."  
She blinked, staring at the rain-washed window still. "He won't hurt anymore people?"  
"No." His voice was soothing. "He's not going to hurt anyone anymore."  
She closed her eyes, breathing hard, but she wasn't going to go back to sleep. She felt about a million times better knowing that sonofabitch was dead.  
They pulled into the hospital lot.  
The next thing she knew, she was in Dean's arms again, and she felt better than she had ever felt in her whole life. _Nothing like a near-death experience and a strength-sharing bond to make a girl feel good…_  
They burst through the hospital doors, and Dean was yelling down the empty hallway. Sam had rushed ahead and was talking frantically to a secretary. There were voices over an intercom.  
Holly saw white-washed walls, and that's when her eyes started to close.  
By the time she was out of Dean's grip, she had lost consciousness.


	7. Chapter 7

This time, there were no nightmares, no broken images of reality, splattered with blood and no fear to make Holly twist under the covers.  
She slept like a rock, not even twitching once in her slumber.  
When she awoke, it was like bursting through a bright light and into a white bubble. She felt like she was floating, hovering in the room like she was air, until she heard voices and she fell back to earth.  
"-the white dress thing?"  
"Vail's messed up idea…"  
"…she was his virgin?"  
"Dean, please don't tell her I told you this-"  
Holly scrunched her eyes closed. _I don't want to hear any of this._  
_I'll feign sleep._  
"Dude, I'm grabbing some coffee."  
She could feel a slight twitch in her senses as Dean's footsteps faded down what she presumed was the hospital hallway.  
Sam entered the room, but Holly didn't open her eyes yet. She felt as if she couldn't talk to him right now; to either of them. She couldn't face them.  
_Things are going to be different now._  
Sam sighed, and sat down in a chair by her bed. Holly felt the tiredness emanating off of him, mixed with the last dregs of adrenaline and relief. She kept her eyelids still, and her body motionless.  
What would happen when she woke up? The thing that had drawn them together, that had given them a common enemy, was dead and burned so now that left them…where? With a life-sharing bond that none of them knew how to fix; that could mean certain tension in their relationship. Hunters, she knew, didn't like to stay in one place for too long. They would want to get out of here, to go save more people.  
What about her? She had to find a way to break this bond, or live painstakingly without Dean. There was no choice.  
Holly's ears focused in on Sam's breathing. She wasn't sure she wanted to separate from them, which scared her more than the fact she faced a city full of vampires now.  
Maybe _she_ would leave. Get out, find a fresh start. She had no future here; who knows what would happen to her without Vail to stake a claim on her?  
There was murmuring outside her door. Dean was chatting with one of the nurses.  
Holly didn't know if he was flirting, or checking up on her condition.  
_Maybe it's just best to forgive and forget._  
She rolled over, opening her eyes. She saw Sam's green gaze on her, and she focused in on his warm tan skin. His face was so open, so welcoming. She could tell he was sincerely concerned.  
"You're awake." He nodded to her, folding his large hands together. "Are you feeling alright?"  
Holly yawned, and the action hurt her neck, but she sat upright, her arms feeling a bit shaky. Sunlight streamed in through the white shades, making her blink.  
"I've been better. Goddess, how long was I out for?"  
"Throughout the rest of yesterday, and last night," Sam answered. "You needed your sleep, and your wound is in stable condition."  
Holly gingerly touched the bandages on her throat. She smiled grimly. "What excuse did you make up for this one?"  
Sam scratched his neck. "We had to think on the spot for that one. So, basically, you just tripped."  
Holly raised her eyebrow. "And fell?"  
"On a fence."  
She laughed. "Let's see, the fence around my garden?"  
He grinned. "You were watering your flowers, or something."  
"In a torrential downpour?"  
Sam shrugged. "Believe me, Dean had 'em convinced."  
Holly dipped her head. She felt unbelievably better since the last time she had been conscious. It was as if new energy, a new life was flowing through her veins. Knowing she finally had revenge on what had killed her parents, and Francis, and Randy, made her feel different, safe, proud and horrified all at the same time.  
"Hey." Sam leaned forward and grabbed her scratched up hands. Holly suspected there was a giant bruise around her ankle, too. "You did well out there. A little bit reckless, risking your life like that, but you were not doing it for the wrong reasons."  
Holly felt heat rise up on her skin was she looked at Sam's hand around hers. "I'm just glad it's over." She paused. "Do you know what Vail told me yesterday?"  
Sam looked over at her. "What did he say to you?"  
"That he wasn't the only bloodsucker in this town." She almost choked on her words. "He said that over half the population here is made up of vampires. I've been living with vampires, Sam, and the only reason I wasn't killed was because Vail had laid a claim on me."  
Sam's eyes shone with unease. "You're thinking of leaving town?"  
Holly leaned her back against the headboard, her mind swimming. Sam's fingers still caressed her palm, but she wasn't awkwardly embarrassed about it. She found herself liking the feeling.  
"I want to," she croaked. "It's my home, but I have to leave. I can't be here anymore. It's what I have to do."  
Sam nodded, and they were silent for a moment.  
Holly swallowed dryly, and wished for a glass of water. She noticed one on the table next to hers.  
Slowly removing her hands from Sam's, she grabbed it, and took a sip. It felt cool and relieving on her throat. The condensation from the glass ran down her fingers.  
Sam immediately rummaged in his jacket pocket. "Here," he said, pulling something out and holding it in his palm, outstretched. "I believe I owe you this back."  
Holly set the glass back down, and grasped the charm from his hand. Fingers trembling, she clasped it around her neck, and it felt like home. A feeling of remembrance overwhelmed her.  
"Thank you," she whispered. "I guess it really did bring us luck."  
He smiled at her, his cheeks dimpling.  
Dean's voice became louder as he entered the room.  
"That hot nurse says she'll be fine, Sammy, she just needs rest. I…" Dean's voice stopped; a cup of coffee was steaming in his hands. "Holly. You're awake."  
_You just noticed now?_"Morning, Dean."  
Something in Dean's eyes shifted just then, and his face became a bit softer; so slightly, that Holly barely caught it. But she felt his concern, anyways. He sat down next to Sam.  
"Nice to see you, well, not become a vampire's chew toy." Dean sipped his coffee.  
"Yeah, I'm pretty relieved about it, too." She frowned at him. "Did they say that I can leave if I feel like it?"  
Sam and Dean glanced at each other. "Well, your wound wasn't as serious as we thought it was, but I don't think they'll be cool with that. They'll probably want you to stay overnight, just to check-up," Sam answered.  
Holly shook her head. "There is no way in hell I am sitting in this bed any longer. That means you have to stay here, too," she said, smugly turning to Dean. "So I'm sure you can convince that hot little nurse of yours…"  
"I'm on it." Dean jumped out of his chair. Sam rolled his eyes.

By the time noon rolled around, Holly had made it into the Impala and on her way back to her apartment, stopping to grab a quick lunch through a drive-through, because both she and the Hunters were famished. She stared out the back window as they rolled down the empty streets, which had soil strewn all over them from the heavy rain the day before. A cloudy mist still hung over the city, causing the weeping willows to look more droopy than usual, and the blood had washed off of most of the building's walls.  
Holly shuddered, her breath fogging up the glass. Dean drove more cautiously than usual, his eyes darting around the shadowy corners of buildings. Sam's hand was on his gun.  
Though the darkness was over, the shadow still remained.  
Holly could feel it as they pulled into her building lot. It just didn't feel like home anymore. This was a ghost town to her, something that should remain in the past. Forget art school next term, forget finding a job; she was gone for good.  
_Better start packing._  
She opened the back door, pricking her ears for any signs of movement. There were the normal amount of cars in the parking lot; everyone must be indoors, hiding from this awful weather.  
Thunder rumbled in the distance as she and the Hunters crossed to the front door, but she didn't know if it was leaving or coming. Holly felt a bit stiff walking, but other than that she felt pretty alive, walking next to Dean. He was like her personal life-aid.  
As she suspected, the hallways were empty of residents. She could hear the occasional blare of a television through a cracked door, but that was it.  
Sam held out a hand as she reached her apartment door, cautioning her to stay away.  
"We don't know if he had anybody working with him," he whispered, motioning for the key. She placed it in his hands, stepping back, with Dean in front of her. If worse came to worse, she was ready to kick some more vampire ass.  
Still, her heart beat increased, and sweat broke out under her arms.  
Sam slowly turned the key, and opened the door. He stepped in quietly, his gun held out in front of him. Dean kept her back from the opening.  
They waited a few moments; Holly couldn't feel anything from the inside, just the way things normally were, all dust and paint and books.  
She knew they were safe before Sam called out, "all clear!"  
Holly stepped into her apartment, throwing off her shoes. It felt good to be back in a place that was familiar, even if she was going to leave it forever in a few days. "Turn on the news," she said; getting a feeling that something must be being broadcasted about this disaster.  
She was right. The female reporter's face re-appeared on the screen, and Holly and the Hunters gathered around, their eyes intently watching.  
_"The police are still investigating the murder of twenty-two year old Francis Green, who was found two days ago in a ditch across from a local bar. The details of his murder match one of another older male last week, found in a similar location. Police are cautioning citizens to be aware that there may be a dangerous criminal on the loose, and to call if they see any suspicious events happening around the area. If anyone has any identification to who might be guilty of these murders, they must contact the authorities immediately. In recent news, a local bartender by the name of Randy Simmons has been reported missing, and the police are asking for any information regarding this case as well, because it may be connected to the other murders. Vandalism has also been reported as well; blood has been found marking headstones of the old cemetery in the heart of town, as well as markings on some of the building's walls. Police aren't sure whether this is connected to the murders and missing person, but again, if anyone knows any details about these crimes, they must be reported immediately. Thunder showers…"_  
Holly blinked, imagining the faces of Francis and Randy with fangs and pale, drawn out skin, bloodshot eyes, blood running down their lips…"Vampires," she whispered, her eyes drifting out of focus on the TV screen, so that it all became a blur. She turned to Dean. "They could have been vampires, too."  
Dean raised his eyebrows and looked at Sam, who had his arms folded and was leaning against Holly's couch. "Am I missing something?"  
"Yesterday, before we arrived, Vail informed Holly that most of the population of Savannah is vampires. It's like a breeding ground; they come here to make a good life for themselves, among humans."  
"But not eating them? That sort of goes against their nasty bloodsucking nature."  
Sam shrugged. "There haven't been any records of vampire killings before Vail's time. We've met peaceful vampires before, Dean, it's not like it's unheard of."  
"But they know what I am," Holly interrupted, swallowing. "And that's why I've been so avoided since Vail killed my parents. They were afraid if they messed with me, Vail would come to get them."  
"So you think now, the vampires might try something with you?"  
Holly raised her hands, tilting her head. "I don't know. All I know is, I can't stay here anymore. Not after all of this. I'll start packing tomorrow."  
Dean flicked off the television, and turned to face her. Holly knew what was coming before he said it.  
"The bond, Holly."  
She crossed her arms. "What do you want me to do, Dean? I'm not asking to go with you, but for now I don't know how to fix this. I guess…" she drifted off, her eyes landing on the floor, not being able to meet their gaze. "This bond has nothing to do with me wanting to leave, Dean. This is my choice."  
"Well, I'll say something now, there is no way she's joining us Hunting, Sam. That's out of the question." She saw something shift in his gaze, and Holly crossed to her cabinet, opening it without touching. She had to do something to distract herself.  
"She never said anything about Hunting, Dean. But maybe she can ride with us for a while."  
Holly could feel the anxiety drifting off of Dean, and wondered why he was so tense.  
"She did save your life, like twice, you know." She heard the grin on Sam's voice. He enjoyed poking fun at his brother.  
"Yeah, whatever," Dean grumbled.  
"Just pretend I'm not a witch," Holly said, turning to give him a smug smile, "and you'll get over it."  
She turned again to run her fingers over the old, cracked spines of her books. The black spell-book of her grandmother's caught her eye. It was sitting slightly out of place, and she caught a whiff of Dean's blood; there was a small smear on the binding. She pulled it out, holding it in her hands.  
_Of course. Why didn't I think of it before?_  
She placed the book on her kitchen table, which was being slowly cleared off of stuff by the Hunters. They were moving all their items into a duffel bag, but Dean lifted his head.  
"What are you doing?"  
Her grandmother always had little notes in the margins, scribbled in her ridiculously neat cursive. Most of it was old, and torn or smudged away, but Holly held her breath in hope that she could find something to help her situation.  
The book's pages flipped heavily in her hands, and she watched the ancient script float before her eyes. Some of it was in writing she couldn't understand; spells from generations before. She caught catches of old English, Welsh, and even Latin. Her finger stopped on the exact page- LIFE BONDING spread before her eyes in bold black print.  
Holly kept her head down, but she flicked her eyes up to meet Dean's. "I'm checking the book."  
"I thought the book didn't have the answer you need?"  
"That's only because I didn't think there was a way to break a spell like this," Holly answered, sitting down, and scanning the page. It was jammed full with instructions and little substitutions her grandmother had added in after, but she couldn't see any subheading that said "HOW TO BREAK THIS SPELL." That's really what she was looking for.  
What she didn't notice before, though, was the little illustration at the bottom right hand corner of the page. Her eyes landed on a tiny sketch, crudely drawn in black ink, but it was clear to her.  
"I found something."  
It was a woman, tied to a tree, with her mouth open in a tiny wail. A slashed red A was painted across her chest.  
There was a subscript underneath it; Holly squinted to see. Sam moved to look over her shoulder, his eyes narrowing as well. His arm was barely brushing her back.  
Holly ran her finger across the writing. "It's something about…cheated love…connection is broken…love is no more, stuff like that. It's too tiny and smudged to make out."  
She moved her gaze to the A. It stood out to her like a fiery signal, but still she couldn't realize its importance.  
"I don't understand."  
Maybe she wasn't seeing the truth, because she didn't want to see it.  
Dean leaned on the table on the opposite side of Holly and Sam, bending his head over the book.  
"I think they're talking about some serious two-timing."  
Holly raised her eyebrows at him.  
"Adultery," Sam muttered over her shoulder, standing up straight.  
Holly turned to him on her seat. The truth emerged in her mind. "One of the partners takes another lover? How does that affect a life bond?"  
"Well, you said yourself- this spell was created for husbands and wives, right? If you take two people in love, and one is unfaithful, you've got an angry partner, and a broken bond."  
Holly shut her eyes. _No fucking way._  
"Does it say who has to be the one doing the screwing around?" Dean asked, looking at Sam, and suddenly, Holly felt a wall come up around him. Women. They were definitely his weakness.  
Sam picked up the book, pacing around the room. Holly couldn't meet Dean's eyes. She felt a flush rising up her neck. In the back of her mind, she knew what was coming.  
"It doesn't say here…oh wait, there's something about the person 'who holds the most power in the relationship.' Plus, the drawing is of a women being accused for adultery, so I would assume it would have to be the man."  
Dean stared at him, and then grinned slowly. "I'll have this problem fixed by morning."  
Holly sighed, a cloud forming in her mind. She didn't want to do this, but she had to. Plus, she sort of secretly wanted to wipe the smug, _I'm getting laid tonight,_ look off of Dean's face.  
"Variables, Sam," she said softly, staring at the table. She was at war with herself. She wanted to make sure this spell was broken correctly, but at the same time she wanted Dean to go and do it himself, have fun with his little hotel hookers, and then leave this whole thing behind.  
Sam paced back towards the table, placing the book down. "What variables do you have in mind?"  
"This isn't a simple love connection, this is a life sharing, strength giving bond," Holly said, gesturing towards Dean. "Even if we did the whole 'unfaithful' thing, there's no guarantee it would work. Besides, you're forgetting the most important thing. Dean isn't the powerful one in this relationship."  
Dean put that pouty look on his face, and turned to face her. "I'm not? You sure you're not doing that whole witchy, feminism, all men should die thing?"  
Holly leaned forward. "I'm not fucking around, Dean. This spell…it's as alien to me as it is to you, but I'm the one who has the heritage, _and_ the experience to know about stuff like this." She fell back in her chair, sighing. "This is a life bonding case, and I'm the one who instigated the whole entire bond, plus I saved your life that night. I have this horrible feeling it has to be me."  
She heard the ticking of the old grandfather clock as silence passed.  
"Well," Dean cleared his throat. "This makes things…a little more difficult."  
"You think?" Holly threw back her hands, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, guys, but I didn't think it would come to this. It's just…I don't think I can do it. Not after…" she bit her lip, her cheeks flushing, the memory of that ragged white dress and the feeling of Vail's lips on her throat not forgotten yet.  
"Hey, listen," Sam knelt down next to her, and placed his hand over hers, which was resting on the table. Holly opened her mouth a bit, taken a little aback. "You don't have to do this. We can try it with Dean, first."  
She looked at Sam, and saw the concern in his eyes. She knew what she had to do, and it sent little coil tightening in her stomach.  
"He can try," she said. "But I'm set against it. Besides…I would have to go with him. I have a solution where we won't have to leave the apartment."  
_Oh Goddess, I'm out of my mind._  
Dean placed his hands on the table. "What are you suggesting?"  
Holly swallowed, hard, and glanced at Sam, who was about her height when kneeling. She let the moment pass; she didn't want to take this any further, but she knew, in her heart, it was the only choice she knew that had a chance at working.  
Recognition formed in Sam's green eyes. "Me?" he exclaimed, getting up and backing against the wall, holding a hand to his chest. "Holly, I..."  
"Sam, I wouldn't be suggesting it if I didn't feel that it's our only choice," Holly said, holding her head in her hands. Her heart was pounding fast. She hated to admit it, but she almost wanted to face the bloodthirsty vampire again rather than think about losing her virginity to a Hunter she had only known for a few days.  
Her lunch threatened to rise in her throat.  
She heard Dean's voice from across the table. "She's right, Sam. She's not lying; this is the only way. She really doesn't like it." His voice held grudging disbelief.  
Holly lifted her head, grabbing tufts of her hair. "It's nothing to you guys, and I hate to say this right now, I really do, but it means… a lot to me. I guess you guys won't have to play rock, paper, and scissors this time."  
Dean cocked his head at her. "You're a strange, strange girl, you know that?"  
He had a point. She almost smiled.  
She played with her hands nervously in her lap.  
_There has to be another way._  
"Do or die," she whispered to herself. Sam stood across from her, a look of disbelief on his face, but then his handsome features changed. She knew, in her heart, he would do it. If not to save his brother from this Bond, then because he cared about her. Deep down, Holly felt it.  
"I mean, what's a bit of sex, right?" she laughed nervously. "I mean, it beats dying, which was my other option." She shrugged, looking at Dean. "So I guess you're going to have to excuse us for a second."  
Dean held up his hands, standing back from the table. "Well, this is pretty much _the_ weirdest situation I have ever found myself in on a Hunt, and that's saying a lot, but please," he grinned at her. "Enjoy yourselves."  
Holly tried to search deep in his thoughts, but the wall was up again. Something had changed in his eyes.  
She smiled grimly at him, and turned to Sam. Her hands shook, and she was almost disgusted with herself at going to do this.  
_Kissing one brother…and sleeping with the other? Fuck, I've only known them for less than a week._  
She stood, wiping her palms nervously on her jeans, which she had changed into from the hospital; Sam had also picked up her clothes after finishing up with Vail in the cave yesterday.  
_Such a nice guy._  
And he was. It wasn't like he was a total waste or anything…  
_But seriously? He's a fucking Hunter!_ That was the nasty little voice in the back of her thoughts talking.  
But physically, and emotionally, she was not so disappointed after all. Sam was gorgeous, he was caring, he was strong, brave, had saved her life, he wasn't a total dick like his brother…  
His brother. Shit, this was going to be hard. It would be like trying to focus painting beautiful scenery inside, while the real, exciting thing was just out the door.  
Sam cleared his throat. "Holly, you're sure you want to do this?"  
Holly drew in her breath. "Shit, Sam this is weird," she said, laughing, the jitters still making their home in her stomach. "It's actually me that should be asking you, do you want to do this? I am a witch, after all…"  
Sam snorted; smiling, glancing out the window. "Believe me, I've had worse."  
Holly let herself fall silent, not sure what to make of that. Her heart was racing. She couldn't focus on just one thing; her mind was all over the place. If someone had told her a few days ago that she would be doing this, she would have laughed in their face. But then again, she had been kissing Dean only yesterday.  
Sam let his hand slide up to her cheek. It wasn't electrifying, like it had been with Dean, but it still made her catch her breath. He kissed her softly, and it wasn't ecstasy, but it was nice. She felt safe, comfortable. She could do this. He pulled away.  
"Okay, I'm leaving." Dean walked into the living room, shaking his head, but Holly could feel the hurt in his voice.  
"His ego just took another blow," she said, laughing, and let Sam kiss her again. She eased into the kiss, letting herself mold into his strong arms. She barely felt like herself; instead, she was living outside of her body, watching this person who looked and moved like her make out with a stranger.  
A cute, irresistible stranger.  
_Fuck, you're life really is messed up, Holly…  
…but I don't care._  
Sam let his forehead rest against hers, his lips just inches from hers. "You're okay about this?"  
"Yeah," she said, breathless. She still felt that pull towards Dean, but it was overwhelmed by the sudden rush she had through her veins. Kissing Sam did funny things to her senses.  
He smiled, eyes closed, "Okay."  
The next thing she knew, she was being lifted up. She gasped, laughing nervously. "You guys have been doing that an awful lot."  
"Mmm." He pushed open the door to her room, and Holly saw her bed, and her heart started thumping. Enjoyable or not, this was still something she had never done before.  
Sam laid her down and pressed himself on her, his mouth gentle, moving slowly. She was breathless, barely sensing Dean two rooms over. He was almost a figment of her imagination, now.  
_It must be working._  
Holly knew she secretly had wanted this all along. Underneath that physical attraction towards Dean, she had experienced a tiny crush on Sam. Here he was: a mysterious, tall, dark stranger showing up at her door wanting to help her? Hell, yes.  
_Goddess, you're such a little whore._  
But she was enjoying it, the feeling Sam gave her. That comfort, that familiarity, that feeling of being understood. They were both different in the world, like outcasts. She could relate.  
Sam pulled away, and pushed back her curls, which were starting to twist around her face again. Holly looked at him, flushed.  
This was all the same to him, but she didn't care how many girls they'd done this to before on a Hunt. She knew this would only lead to this Bond being broken, and that was the problem at the moment. After this, everything would return to normal.  
_Except I'm leaving._

_Stop thinking,  
Just do this._

Holly rose to kiss him, her hands on his strong cheek-bones. She was nervous as hell, but she would enjoy this.  
Sam slowly let his hands travel down to dip under her shirt. She gasped as he brushed her wound, but it was healing well with the medicines she had taken; her neck felt oddly fine as well. She just felt a tingle race up her spine.  
The next thing she knew, her shirt was off, and so was Sam's. Holly felt embarrassed by a second at exposing herself, but was lost in the moment as she found herself staring at what seemed like a marble statue, glorious.  
_Goddess, he was gorgeous._  
They came together in a heated embrace; it was all happening so fast, but Holly found herself willing and passionate. She was definitely a different person; could a near death experience really change someone that much?  
_Maybe because it really was what you wanted all along._  
Pants off,  
bra off,  
….underwear.  
Holly had his hands over his back; Sam's lips were on her neck, and she gasped in pleasure as he swept his large hands down her body, and she throbbed,  
burned,  
breathed,  
let herself go.  
It was all a blur, and yet it happened so slowly. It was soft, passionate, and yet it was fiery, full of hunger.  
She barely even recognized her own voice as she moaned.  
Barely even felt the pain.

_At first, it was just a disappointment.  
Dean sat on the couch, flipping tirelessly through TV channels. He had lost the game before; he couldn't always get the girls.  
Even so, he thought, as he leaned back, Holly would have been nice. She was like a forbidden fruit to him, something he couldn't have, though he would have liked to taste.  
And the opportunity had come up, and Sam had snatched it away.  
The worst part was that he could feel it. He had seen the way they had looked at each other, and now it was all happening, and he could feel what Holly felt for Sam; he felt her heart beating wildly and the passion exploding between the two.  
It made him sick.  
And yet, he wished, in some little part in his mind, that it was him feeling all these things, these things that drove him wild. He hadn't been laid in weeks, and that just put him in a bad mood, period. This whole Bond thing had driven him over the edge, especially since he couldn't touch the girl that had been so connected with him.  
And now Sam was screwing her.  
He placed his feet on the table, not caring if he still had his boots on. He frowned at the television, which had been turned up loud.  
Once this whole thing was over, he was going to find himself some chicks.  
He wished he had a beer, to take the edge off of things.  
Then the pain hit him. It felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest, like someone was tearing it to pieces.  
Dean groaned, keeling over. The blood was pumping in his ears. The pain coursed through him, and it felt like his chest was being opening and dug out with a spoon.  
"God," he muttered, kneeling on the ground, gripping the sides of the coffee table. The pain was awful. Was Holly feeling this too?  
She was the one causing this pain.  
His head ached, and his heart still beat in pain, but he noticed she was drifting, farther and farther away. He could feel all those things before, but now, they were being erased.  
It was working.  
He pulled himself up on the couch, breathing hard. "Sonofabitch," he muttered, rubbing his chest. He felt the last dregs of fire, of the lust, and the pain.  
It became numb, like he had taken a drug.  
The television blared, but he heard nothing, only the pulse in his ears.  
It was fading, slowly. He barely felt her, barely could brush the sense of the witch who had tied him up.  
The last thing he felt was the sudden rise in temperature, the pulse growing faster, beating hard…  
Then he felt nothing.  
Nothing at all._


	8. Chapter 8

Holly felt the beating of her own heart. The constant beating in her ears, as she fluttered her eyes at the ceiling.  
Laying there in the dim light, her breath slowed. Her body was bathed in a light sweat, and the afternoon light filtered in through her closed shades, illuminating her and Sam's naked bodies.  
_Ba dump….ba dump…ba…dump._  
She heard the beating of her own heart, but no one else's.  
"It worked," she breathed, her eyes opening. She couldn't feel Dean anymore. She let the moment sink in.  
Sam shuffled beside her, and his head moved into her vision.  
"Hi," she said, not making the connection.

_You slept with him…._

He smiled. "It worked, didn't it?"  
Holly nodded, her mind whirring.  
She was silent for a moment.  
Hurt. She felt…a little bit sore. Achy, but not in a totally painful way. Holly sat up, bringing the covers with her, still trying to wrap her mind around it.  
She hadn't been herself for the last fifteen minutes, but she had liked it. So much.  
And in her heart, where there used to be a smug smile and green eyes, there was nothing.  
Maybe just a prick, and a sudden disappearance, but that was all that she had felt when her and Sam had…  
She blushed, her mind finally reaching the answer. She wasn't a virgin anymore.  
_I slept with a Hunter._  
Sam drew himself up beside her, leaning against the headboard. He huffed, and turned to look at her. "It wasn't that bad, was it?"  
She couldn't help but laugh a little, but the sound caught in her throat. She tried to feel happy, but she couldn't, and she didn't know why. That feeling of pleasure and fire was gone, and instead, it was that awkward morning-after situation.  
_Was it because of Dean?_  
"I guess I'm a free woman now," she said, folding her hands. "I guess the spell was breakable after all."  
Sam turned to look at the door. "Right. The spell."  
Holly knew he had something else to say, but she didn't have the courage to ask him.  
Dean was waiting outside that door. That's a way to double the awkwardness.  
But she couldn't feel him, so she didn't know what he was doing, and that almost seemed…wrong.  
"I guess we'd better get moving," Holly said, quietly. It was hard to believe, that just a while ago, she was a virgin, and she had been having the experience of a lifetime. Now, reality hit her.  
_You'll be a witch on the run, and with no one to protect you._  
"Right. Dean."  
Sam was now off the bed and throwing his jeans and shirt on. Holly eyed him, the heat still rising on her cheeks.  
That feeling was returning again.  
"What's with you?" she asked, sliding off her mattress and picking up her underclothes, quickly slipping them on, shaking. She picked up her shirt, throwing it over her head.  
Sam paused right by the door, his eyes lingering on her drawings.  
"It's nothing." His gaze shuffled from left to right.  
"I may not be bonded with you, but I can tell something's on your mind." She was reaching dangerous territory, but Holly stepped forward, doing up her jeans. "Something wrong with one of my drawings?"  
She was trying to keep it casual, like that day when they were standing in this same position, discussing passions and dreams. Sam turned to her.  
"Your drawings are perfect."  
"Thanks." The heat was still lingering on her cheek.  
Maybe it was something in the air, or in the way that the light was filtering in, illuminating his eyes, but Holly saw something different in Sam just then. She saw him as not a Hunter, but a man that had fallen hard.  
She saw the compassion in his eyes, and it scared her.  
_Had it been you all along?_  
She swallowed, moving a hand along the wall, towards the doorknob, but she stopped herself. A breeze tickled her face. A curl whipped along her brow.  
Sam's eyes gathered on her lips, and she saw the signs of an inner struggle. He moved his shoulders forward, but stopped himself. His hand raised to brush her hair back, but his fingers caught on her face.  
Holly shook, but she didn't want it to stop. The tension was building again between them.  
"But I'm just a witch," she whispered, knowing in her heart that she wasn't the only girl, the one who had become to share the Hunters' beds. _Just a witch._  
"You're the best damn witch I've ever met," he murmured, pulling her closer.  
Their lips met in a heated embrace, and Holly pressed herself against him.  
It was almost more passionate than the sex that had happened just a moment before; it was a feeling deep hidden revealing itself for the first time.  
It was a sorrowful, longing, powerful goodbye.  
Holly let herself fall into his arms; he slowly pressed her back against the wall. Her fingers found their way down his back, in his soft hair, on his chiseled face. Sam's lips moved slowly over hers, but they were passionate in a way she had never known. The room was filled with the sound of their breathing.  
It was her that pulled away, not being able to control herself any longer. She couldn't fall any deeper into this.  
"Sam," she breathed. "I can't. I mean, we can't. I'm…leaving."  
He bent his head to hers, sighing. "I know. I thought I'd say goodbye."  
She appreciated this moment, this tenderness. "Thank you, Sam. For all you've done."  
Holly lifted her head, and their gazes met.  
_I've found peace._  
He let his hand find the door. She took a moment to breathe, take it all in.  
Then she felt the rush of cool air, and suddenly, it was back to the real world.

She found Sam next to Dean in the kitchen, and the Hunter's face looked pained. He was bent over a little, breathing hard. Holly swallowed.  
"Dean," she said, walking forward. She noticed her kitchen was back to the way it was. It looked…normal, too normal and she hated it. She missed the commotion, the random newspaper articles, hell, even the guns.  
"Don't." Dean held up a hand, standing up straight, his hand on his chest.  
Holly stopped, her hands falling to her sides. Even now that the Bond was gone, she could still clearly feel that wall up around him. She was being shut out behind that block of steel.  
His eyes no longer held emotion. They were hard, like the way his jaw was set. She found herself hating it.  
"Well," he said, his eyes sliding to his younger brother. "You guys were right, it worked. Hope you had fun with it."  
Holly blinked, her eyes sliding to the beer in his hand.  
Dean gestured with it. "Found it in your freezer."  
She sighed. "My secret stash."  
She hated it. All of it.  
"Well, uh…" Sam tucked his hands in his pocket, looking at Holly. She tried not to let her eyes give her feelings away. "I guess we owe you thanks, Holly. This wouldn't have been possible without you."  
She let her gaze fall to the ground, tracing the checkerboard her tiles made across the floor. "You don't owe me anything anymore. We're even." She smiled at him. "Vail's dead, I finally am getting out of this town, and I've met two very lovely people."  
_Insert sarcasm._  
"Mmm. My heart swells for you." Dean walked to the table and grabbed his duffle bag, slinging it over his shoulder.  
Holly followed him, her eyes filling with sadness. He had changed.  
She couldn't feel him, but she knew he wasn't going to open himself up again.  
He slapped the wall, stopping near the door. "Sammy?"  
Sam frowned at his brother, his hand clenching. He walked to Holly, touching her shoulder.  
They shared one long, final, goodbye kiss; he was apologizing for so many things at once.  
She felt Dean's hard gaze on them both.  
Sam touched her cheek, letting his hand drop. "I don't want to leave you with the vampires still here."  
"I'll get out of here fine. I won't stop driving till I hit New York," she joked, but New York actually sounded good to her. A city full of flashing lights, music, culture. She could blend in there.  
Sam gently kissed her one more time. "I hate to leave you like this."  
"Go. I'm fine."  
She couldn't look at Dean. She didn't even want to try. It hurt too much.  
Why it hurt, she didn't even know.  
Something tore a little inside as she saw the two Hunters walk out her door, one taller than the other, the exact picture that lay on the floor in her bedroom.  
Her eyes stung with tears, just for a second, but then she caught herself.  
_Breathe._  
She hated goodbyes, more than anything, but the worst thing was saying goodbye when you knew that the chances of seeing that person again were slim to none.  
"Goodbye," she whispered to the empty doorway.  
Immediately, even though she wasn't even Bonded to Dean anymore, she felt that emptiness. Looking around her apartment, she knew it would never be the same.  
She caught her reflection on the mirror hanging beside her. She saw a stranger, a dark witch with bags under her eyes, hair tangled, lips swollen and red. She saw ghosts in her eyes.  
_A girl left haunted._  
She hit that mirror, in a flash of anger. It showed what she was really feeling, which she couldn't be feeling. Sadness.  
She wanted to curl up, scream, tear away the pain, but instead, she watched the shards fall to the floor, letting them land and shatter to a million pieces.  
Holly didn't clean them up; she merely stepped over them, gathering her things.  
Is this how all those other girls felt? After they had left?  
She was just another throw-away.  
It hurt, but more than anything, it made her feel restless. She needed to get out.  
Forget the vampires, fuck the rent, fuck school. She wanted freedom.  
Her fingers trembled as she shoved clothes into a pack.

Holly found herself behind the wheel of her Mini, breathing hard. She stared at her apartment. She had locked the door and left a notice for the landlord that she would be away for a couple of months.  
_Or more._  
School didn't start for a while. She could afford a vacation.  
But she knew, deep down, she wouldn't return for a long, long time.  
Pulling out, the gravel crunched slowly under the wheels. She noticed the Impala was gone. It stood out to her like a blinding, blinking billboard. Reminding her they were gone.  
Along with her life.  
_Goodbye to normal._  
The roads blended into a blur as she drove by. Her backseat was packed with bags, but mostly, she just had clothes, books, and herbs, along with a stash of money and her personal information.  
Just one more stop.  
She pulled up by the cemetery, and the clouds formed over the sun, turning everything to gray. No one was around. Was she safe from vampires for now?  
She couldn't feel anything dark. People were still in hiding.  
The willow trees bowed under the wind as she stopped at the cemetery gate. Her eyes landed on her parent's graves, the blood still slightly visible on the headstones. Someone had made an attempt to rub it off.  
She swallowed hard. This was harder than she thought.  
Stepped up to their names. Bowed her head. Wished them a prayer.  
"I have to say goodbye."  
Tossed the flowers into the wind.  
"Goodbye, mom, dad."  
Tears rolling down the cheeks.

The highway rolled by, signs blending together to form meaningless words.  
She was out,  
but not without consequence.  
Change hit many people differently.

"Dude, what the hell was that bout back there?"  
"Nothing."  
"You're such a dick."  
"You're the one that slept with her just across the hall, Sam."  
"Yeah, to save your ass."  
"You liked her."  
"Maybe I did."

Darkness was falling.  
She was drumming the wheel, humming to some classic rock.  
She changed the station when it reminded her of Dean.

"You and monsters, Sam."  
"She's not a monster, Dean. She was…different. Not a monster."  
Silence.

Change hits people differently.  
Holly sat on the side of the road, days later, sipping a bottle of water. The summer sun beat down, making her sweat, but she relished the slight breeze that drifted across from the lake. Cars drifted by.  
Her hair was cut inches shorter, a sweatshirt around her waist, sunglasses on.  
She breathed out. A couple walked by with a dog.  
She smiled. Maybe she'd work with animals. 


End file.
